Prabowo accepts assistance from Malaysia to contain wildfires
Malaysia has offered three helicopters, an aircraft and 52 personnel to help put out the wildfires, Prabowo said in a statement after meeting Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at his house on the outskirts of Jakarta.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, known as Prabowo, has accepted assistance from Malaysia to combat the severe wildfires currently ravaging the country. This aid includes three helicopters, an additional aircraft, and 52 personnel, as Prabowo disclosed after a meeting with Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The wildfires have been raging for weeks in Kalimantan, an Indonesian region, and are projected to continue until November year, according to Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.
The fires have also led to unhealthy air conditions in neighboring countries Malaysia and Singapore. Prabowo expressed his gratitude for Malaysia's offer, stating he welcomed it "with gratitude and pleasure". The Indonesian government has reported that over 202,000 hectares of land have burned between January and July of this year, with some estimates reaching nearly 896,000 hectares including August.
The issue of transboundary haze, which has been exacerbated by climate change, centuries of forest degradation, and slash-and-burn land-clearing practices, has been a significant factor in these devastating wildfires.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
