Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has approved foreign assistance to tackle forest and land fires that have worsened the regional haze crisis, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said on Thursday (Oct 15), according to local media reports.
Arrmanatha said discussions on assistance from neighbouring countries have entered the technical stage, involving Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). He did not specify which countries had offered assistance or what form the assistance would take.
“The president has also given his approval, and discussions are now underway at the technical level. In this case, the technical discussions are being handled by BNPB,” he said at a closed-door meeting, as quoted by local news outlet Kompas.
The foreign minister said that tackling forest and land fires is a serious concern for Prabowo.
“What we need to emphasise is that this is a matter of great seriousness and is receiving the President’s direct attention. As we all know, the President has issued very clear instructions and directives,” he added.
The Indonesian government has deployed approximately 60,000 people to tackle forest and land fires across six provinces, Arrmanatha said.
Separately, newly appointed BNPB chief Kristomei Sianturi said on Thursday that he has been tasked with containing the wildfires “as soon as possible”.
"I will assess our assets and see what kind of foreign aid we can accelerate," Sianturi said after his inauguration.
BNPB, which coordinates disaster response efforts in Indonesia, is the main body in charge of current firefighting operations.
The comments by the Indonesian government come as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that his government has done its utmost to engage Indonesia in addressing the worsening regional haze.
“We have done everything we can,” Anwar said on Thursday, as quoted by Malay Mail.
Anwar was responding to allegations that the government had not been proactive enough in tackling the transboundary haze issue.
Malaysia has no plans to send a diplomatic note or take legal action against Indonesia over the transboundary haze currently affecting the country, said foreign minister Mohamad Hasan.
"We need to safeguard the close relationship between the two countries. So, we are not going as far as sending a diplomatic note or taking legal action," he told reporters on Thursday, as quoted by the New Straits Times (NST).
"It is easy to say so in parliament, but if we were to do that, it would mean we were prepared to sever diplomatic ties."
Mohamad Hasan was responding to Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's call in parliament for the government to take action against Indonesia, including lodging a diplomatic protest over open burning in the country that has contributed to the haze.
Meanwhile in Singapore, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Saturday that the government was prepared to help Indonesia in fighting forest fires wherever necessary.