Indonesian governor’s Singapore trip adds fury to forest fire, haze crisis
The governor of an Indonesian province bearing the brunt of weeks of raging forest fires has sought to douse anger over his trip to Singapore, as Jakarta “welcomed” help from its neighbours choked by transboundary haze to contain the crisis. East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud, who was spotted having breakfast with his wife at the famous integrated resort Marina Bay Sands in a photo posted…
The governor of an Indonesian province suffering from weeks of severe forest fires has defended his trip to Singapore, which has sparked outrage. Rudy Mas'ud, the East Kalimantan governor, claimed he sought a medical check-up in the city-state. However, social media criticized him for ignoring residents' desperate attempts to breathe amidst the haze.
Some users called him "Indonesia's Marie Antoinette" for his actions. The toxic haze from Indonesia's forest fires has caused school closures in Malaysia and severely degraded Singapore's air quality, prompting both countries to offer aid to the neighboring nation. Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir confirmed the assistance was being discussed and approved by President Prabowo Subianto.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto called the fires an "environmental issue that affects many parties" and welcomed Singapore's aid. Indonesia has mobilized over 60,000 personnel to combat the blazes across six provinces, but four firefighters died while battling the flames in East Java.
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