General : ASEAN Needs To Review Mechanisms To Handle Transboundary Haze - Anwar

Asean Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasized the need for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to review existing mechanisms addressing transboundary haze to protect public health. He stressed that the haze can directly impact people's health, particularly children and infants. Anwar, also the Minister of Finance, urged Asean ministers to pay serious attention to the matter, as it affects lives, especially children and babies, as seen in Serian district where air quality had returned to hazardous levels with an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 302.

Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, had declared a haze emergency in Serian division last Friday due to hazardous air pollution, which was lifted yesterday. Anwar stressed that the issue of open burning in Indonesia requires thorough investigation, including identifying the real cause of fires before taking any action or making accusations.

He acknowledged that Malaysia respects any legal actions by Indonesian authorities if Malaysian companies are found responsible for contributing to the haze issue, and that Malaysia will not intervene or protect any company if investigations prove they are guilty of violations. The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights warned that the transboundary haze crisis in the region has become a human rights emergency, urging Asean and its member states to treat the worsening problem as a human rights emergency and to address it urgently at the upcoming Conference of the Parties in Da Nang, Vietnam.