JAKARTA: Malaysia is ready to work together to deal with the forest and land fires that are currently raging in several regions in Indonesia if needed, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This offer was conveyed in an official letter sent by the Malaysian Minister of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (pix), to his Indonesian counterpart, Siti Nurbaya Bakar.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, confirmed that the letter contained information related to the current air quality situation in Malaysia.
“Yes, the Malaysian government has sent a letter to the Minister of Environment,“ he said in response to media inquiries about the government’s response to the letter.
On Wednesday, Nik Nazmi sent a letter to Indonesia to expedite the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
In August, the Malaysian Consulate in Pontianak donated six water pumps to the government of the West Kalimantan Region for the prevention and control of forest and land fires.
Meanwhile, Education Malaysia in Indonesia (EMI) and the National Union of Malaysian Students in Indonesia (PKPMI) have been actively monitoring the haze situation in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Each branch of PKPMI in Indonesia has been urged to promptly provide information to EMI if any students are affected.
“Until today, we have not received any complaints or reports about students being affected by this haze,“ said the Education Attaché at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, Zulfadhli Hamzah.
There are 543 Malaysian students in Sumatra and 50 in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. –Bernama
