Asean to discuss tackling transboundary haze ahead of summit, says Malaysia
While Asean has mechanisms to address natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions, these do not cover haze.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan announced that he will personally address the haze issue with his Asean counterparts before the bloc's 49th summit in Manila next month. Forest and land fires in Indonesia have led to thick haze in Singapore and Malaysia, forcing school closures due to unhealthy air pollution levels. These wildfires, mainly on Sumatra and Borneo, are the most intense in 11 years.
While ASEAN has mechanisms for natural disasters, haze is not included. Hasan will raise the matter during a meeting with his Asean counterparts. The Philippines, currently chairing ASEAN, has yet to confirm the issue will be on the agenda. Malaysia has previously offered assistance to Indonesia in combating the fires, but fire-fighting attempts have been hampered by poor visibility, accessibility challenges, and unsuitable conditions for cloud seeding.
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.
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