Neighbours press I'nesia to ratify anti-haze pact
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Asean ministers yesterday called on Indonesia to expeditiously ratify and operate the Asean agreement on trans-boundary haze pollution in the battle with ongoing smoke problems in the region.
The joint communique issued after the annual meeting of Asean foreign ministers in Brunei yesterday did not mention Indonesia by name, but Jakarta was the sole member that had not yet ratified the agreement signed in 2002.
The pact was made after the region faced serious haze problems in 1997-1998. Most Asean members ratified the 2002 agreement within a year of signing, but Indonesia has remained silent until now.
The haze caused by open-burn techniques for palm oil plantations in Indonesia’s Sumatra is currently polluting some five of 10 Asean member countries. The problem was monitored as serious in Malaysia and Singapore, while Thailand and Brunei expressed concern at the haze.
The foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore held a meeting on Saturday in Brunei on the sidelines of the Asean ministerial meeting to discuss the matter. They pressured Jakarta to take action against big companies which use slash and burn techniques on palm oil plantations causing the haze.
Indonesia recently offered an apology to other affected members for causing the pollution trouble, but has not yet made clear when it would implement the 2002 pact to tackle the problem.
Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said he raised the issue in the Asean meeting and offered assistance such as artificial rain making to the group.
“We have experience in this problem as haze from wildfires takes place quite often along the border with Myanmar and Laos,” he told reporters. The Asean ministers in their joint communique recognised that the trans-boundary haze is a recurring challenge for the group and underscored the importance of steps to overcome it.
On disaster management, Asean ministers, as proposed by Thailand, encouraged closer cooperation in prevention through capacity building focused on an “early warning and timely forecast system” among members and dialogue partners.
