Indonesian government caution linking haze to forest fire

The Jakarta Post, 22 Oct 2010
The Indonesian government said Thursday it was unclear if the haze that has blanketed Singapore and Malaysia over the last two days originated in Indonesia — despite statements from the countries blaming the haze on fires in Riau province.
The Environment Ministry said it found no significant increase in fire hot spots in Riau or in any other Indonesian province this week.
“We have not determined if the source is from fires in Riau. We still need to check,” Environment Ministry deputy minister for environmental communication and people’s empowerment Ilyas Asaad told reporters at a press conference.
“It is still a one-sided complaint from Singapore or Malaysia,” Ilyas said, in response to statements that the haze had come from Indonesia. Full story


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