Haze: Indonesia puts offers from Malaysia, others to combat forest fires on hold
SLUG: ONHOLD
Indonesia has postponed accepting foreign offers, including those from Malaysia, aimed at combating the extensive forest and land fires in the country. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Dudung Abdurachman, affirmed that the Indonesian government remains confident in its capacity to handle the crisis using its own resources.
When questioned about Malaysia's offer of assistance, Abdurachman stated that help would be forthcoming once the situation is officially declared a national disaster in Indonesia. He highlighted technical challenges such as fuel distribution and logistical issues as the reasons behind the delay in accepting the offer.
Malaysia has consistently expressed its readiness to aid Indonesia, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reaffirming this commitment on Sunday. He proposed an ASEAN-level cooperation mechanism to bolster coordination, preparedness, and collective action against transboundary haze. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi further reiterated Malaysia's willingness to mobilize assets, including a Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft, three helicopters, and 50 personnel, pending official approval from Indonesia.
Malaysia's offer was initially presented during a meeting between Zahid and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on September 18.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir confirmed on October 15 that President Prabowo had approved the offers of assistance from neighboring countries to combat the widespread forest and land fires. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is currently engaged in technical-level discussions to determine the implementation of the assistance.
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