{
  "id": 13314140,
  "title": "Malaysia must table transboundary haze law without delay, says lawyer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/malaysia-must-table-transboundary-haze-law-without-delay-says-lawyer",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-10T03:02:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/1552208/malaysia-must-table-transboundary-haze-law-without-delay-says-lawyer"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}