PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's offer to provide assets and assistance to Indonesia to combat forest fires remains open, with Jakarta yet to respond to the proposal.
Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the Foreign Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry had yet to receive a response from their Indonesian counterparts.
"The prime minister expressed appreciation for the good diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Indonesia, and conveyed Malaysia's readiness to cooperate, including by providing assets to help with firefighting efforts.
"So, the offer still stands. Malaysia remains ready to provide assets if they are needed," he said at a post-cabinet press conference.
Fahmi said the cabinet had also been informed that 11 companies had been subjected to enforcement action by Indonesian authorities, as announced earlier today.
However, he said no Malaysian companies had been identified as being involved in forest burning in Indonesia.
Malaysia had previously offered to deploy a Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft, three helicopters and 52 personnel to assist Indonesia in tackling the fires.
On Sept 19, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had accepted the offer during a meeting the previous day in Hambalang, West Java.
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