Foreign minister says Asean best platform as Malaysia pushes regional action on haze crisis

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug 21 — Malaysia intends to leverage Asean diplomatic channels to tackle the transboundary haze crisis affecting multiple regions, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan asserted. He emphasized that Asean remains the most suitable platform for resolving issues among member countries. Malaysia, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), will present an official letter to the Asean Secretariat soon, according to Mohamad.

"NRES Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup will also correspond with his Indonesian counterpart," he stated. The Foreign Minister, currently on a three-day visit to Brunei, explained that this approach is seen as more effective for the Secretariat to manage the matter. The haze issue is expected to be discussed during the Malaysia-Brunei Annual Leaders’ Consultation (ALC-27) on Aug 22, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim set to meet with Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

As of the latest data from the Malaysian Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS), the Serian District Police Headquarters in Sarawak continues to record an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 217, categorizing it as "very unhealthy." Nine other areas in Sarawak have API readings of 186 or higher, classified as "unhealthy."