Malaysia must table transboundary haze law without delay, says lawyer
KUALA LUMPUR: The government must treat the prolonged haze as a public health emergency, with a lawyer calling for tougher enforcement against open burning and the long-delayed transboundary haze law.
The government of Malaysia is urged to treat the prolonged haze as a public health emergency and to enact a transboundary haze law without further delay, according to a lawyer's statement. Vivekananda Sukumaran, the Bar Council Criminal Law Committee chairman, emphasized the need for tougher enforcement against open burning and called for a comprehensive public health response.
He highlighted the significant increase in asthma cases and upper respiratory tract infections in August, which he attributed to the haze. Sukumaran proposed various measures, such as free N95 masks, air purifiers, and flexible working hours, to protect vulnerable groups from the adverse effects of the haze. He also emphasized the importance of implementing Malaysia's MyCMAQ air quality forecasting model to close schools before pupils are exposed to dangerous pollution levels.
Sukumaran urged the government to table the transboundary haze law, citing Singapore's legislative model as an example. He also suggested using upcoming Asean engagements to push for enforceable regional commitments and traceable supply chains.
Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
