Malaysia aims to slap ‘disaster’ status on transboundary haze at Asean meet
Malaysia plans to propose classifying transboundary haze as a natural disaster at an upcoming ASEAN summit to improve regional response mechanisms. Current firefighting efforts in Indonesia are being hampered by poor visibility and difficult terrain.
Why it matters
Establishing a formal regional disaster status for haze could unlock necessary international cooperation and resources to combat recurring environmental crises in Southeast Asia.
SEPANG, Oct 13 — Malaysia will raise the issue of transboundary haze at an Asean foreign ministers’ meeting ahead of the bloc’s 49th Summit in Manila, the Philippines, next month to discuss more effective regional mechanisms to tackle the problem.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the haze issue required special attention as it was not covered by existing Asean mechanisms for natural disasters.
“We already have an Asean mechanism for natural disasters, but haze is not included or classified as a natural disaster.
“So, this will be one of the issues that I will personally raise at the meeting with my counterparts,” he told reporters after attending the departure of Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the Bunga Raya Complex here yesterday.
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