Indonesia still mum on Malaysia’s offer of firefighters, says Zahid
The deputy prime minister says 'we remain optimistic and assume the best' as perhaps Indonesia does not require our assistance.
IPOH: Malaysia remains in the dark regarding Indonesia's response to an offer of assistance in combating forest and plantation fires that have resulted in transboundary haze, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed. During a visit to Jakarta last month, Zahid engaged in discussions with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and a vice-president's representative about the offer.
According to Zahid, both the National Disaster Management Agency and the foreign ministry have sent letters to their Indonesian counterparts, yet no reply has been received. The Malaysian government holds a hopeful outlook, assuming their assistance is not needed. Malaysia has extended a proposal to provide a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters, and 52 personnel to collaborate on firefighting efforts in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) has been acknowledged as the second-best rescue team in Asia, following Japan.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Indonesia still mum on Malaysia’s offer of firefighters, says Zahid freemalaysiatoday.com
