Indonesia and Singapore to set up joint working group to control transboundary haze Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 28. Indonesian media reported on the 28th that Indonesian Foreign Minister Nasir met with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who had visited Jakarta the day before. The two sides agreed to establish a joint working group that will jointly manage the cross-border haze problem affecting both countries. According to reports from the Jakarta Post and other media outlets, Nasir and Vivian Balakrishnan held nearly two hours of closed-door talks on the 27th. In a joint statement, the two sides announced the establishment of a joint working group to control the haze and hold relevant companies legally accountable. Vivian said that while the dry, rainless weather that El Nino brought to Southeast Asia objectively contributed to the fires, "forest fires are caused by human activity." He said Singapore's National Environment Agency is taking legal action against 10 Singaporean companies suspected of being linked to the Indonesian forest fires. The phenomenon of burning wasteland for restoration has long existed in some parts of Southeast Asia. In order to develop oil palm and other plantation industries, people dug canals and drained peat water, which increased the risk of forest fires. Among them, many agricultural activities are controlled by factories. Nasir said the Haze Control Working Group will work together on information sharing, cross-border evidence collection and recovery of fire losses. Indonesia is experiencing its worst forest fires in a decade. The haze has spread to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor, causing the closure of schools in some countries, an increase in cases of respiratory illnesses and restrictions on people's outdoor activities. Data from Indonesia's Archipelago Atlas monitoring platform show that as of the end of September, more than 1.9 million hectares of forest and land have been burned by fires in Indonesia this year. Indonesian President Prabu recently approved receiving firefighting assistance from Singapore and Malaysia, and the relevant details will be coordinated and implemented by the Indonesian National Disaster Resilience Agency.

Indonesia and Singapore to set up joint working group to control transboundary haze Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 28. Indonesian media reported on the 28th that Indonesian Foreign Minister Nasir met with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who had visited Jakarta the day before. The two sides agreed to establish a joint working group that will jointly manage the cross-border haze problem affecting both countries. According to reports from the Jakarta Post and other media outlets, Nasir and Vivian Balakrishnan held nearly two hours of closed-door talks on the 27th. In a joint statement, the two sides announced the establishment of a joint working group to control the haze and hold relevant companies legally accountable. Vivian said that while the dry, rainless weather that El Nino brought to Southeast Asia objectively contributed to the fires, "forest fires are caused by human activity." He said Singapore's National Environment Agency is taking legal action against 10 Singaporean companies suspected of being linked to the Indonesian forest fires. The phenomenon of burning wasteland for restoration has long existed in some parts of Southeast Asia. In order to develop oil palm and other plantation industries, people dug canals and drained peat water, which increased the risk of forest fires. Among them, many agricultural activities are controlled by factories. Nasir said the Haze Control Working Group will work together on information sharing, cross-border evidence collection and recovery of fire losses. Indonesia is experiencing its worst forest fires in a decade. The haze has spread to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor, causing the closure of schools in some countries, an increase in cases of respiratory illnesses and restrictions on people's outdoor activities. Data from Indonesia's Archipelago Atlas monitoring platform show that as of the end of September, more than 1.9 million hectares of forest and land have been burned by fires in Indonesia this year. Indonesian President Prabu recently approved receiving firefighting assistance from Singapore and Malaysia, and the relevant details will be coordinated and implemented by the Indonesian National Disaster Resilience Agency.