Prabowo orders tougher action on Indonesia fires; foreign offers to help tackle haze not discussed
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered intensified firefighting efforts to combat forest fires causing regional haze, though the government has not yet accepted foreign aid. Officials maintain that Indonesia is currently capable of managing the situation independently.
Why it matters
The tension between national sovereignty and regional environmental impact highlights the difficulty of managing transboundary pollution in Southeast Asia.
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered more action to fight forest and land fires that have sent thick haze to Singapore and Malaysia, but offers of help from the two countries were not discussed at a meeting he chaired on Oct 12.
Asked by reporters after the meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta whether foreign offers of help had been discussed, Coordinating Political and Security Minister Dudung Abdurachman, who attended the meeting, said: “Not yet. That was not discussed earlier.”
Prabowo had instructed the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to step up firefighting operations, particularly in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra, Dudung said.
His orders come as Indonesia struggles to contain fires that have disrupted flights, forced school closures and raised health concerns.
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