ASEAN urges Indonesia to ratify haze pact

July 1, 2013, 2:01 am

 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AFP) - Southeast Asian nations urged Indonesia Sunday quickly to ratify a treaty aimed at preventing fires in its giant rainforests that regularly inflict choking smog on its neighbours.

Thick grey smoke from the fires on Sumatra island sent air pollution to record levels in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia this month, forcing people to wear face masks and schools to close.

The crisis prompted the two nations to raise the problem at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting in Brunei on Sunday.

Indonesia is the largest member of the 10-nation bloc.

"We... stressed the importance for regional countries to uphold their international obligations and work together to tackle the transboundary haze pollution problem," the foreign ministers said in a joint communique.

They "called upon ASEAN member states that have not yet ratified and operationalised the (treaty) to do so expeditiously".

Indonesia is the only member which has still not ratified an ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution brokered in 2002.

The treaty aims to stop cross-border smog pollution caused by forest fires by requiring parties to prevent burning, monitor prevention efforts, exchange information on the problem and provide mutual help.

It also binds signatories to "respond promptly" to requests for information sought by another country affected by the smoke and to take steps to implement their obligations under the treaty.

Indonesia, a freewheeling democracy since the fall of strongman Suharto in 1998, has blamed its parliament for the long delay.

The government had sought legislators' approval to ratify the haze agreement but the proposal was rejected in 2008.

Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the treaty had been resubmitted to the current legislature, although no timeline for ratification was given.

Environmental group Greenpeace International, however, said Indonesia was reluctant to ratify the treaty because it would affect the expansion plans of palm oil companies in the country.

The Sumatra fires have been largely blamed on palm oil firms using the illegal but cheap method of burning vast tracts of rainforests and peat lands to clear them for planting.

Indonesia is the world's top producer of palm oil, which is used for many everyday items such as soap and biscuits.

Some of the world's most biodiverse rainforests cover vast areas of Sumatra and other parts of the sprawling Indonesian archipelago.

But environmental campaigners warn these forests are being cleared at a disastrous rate to make way for palm oil plantations, as well as for mining and logging.

Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam voiced satisfaction at progress on the haze issue at the talks.

The ASEAN statement "focuses on the importance of putting out the fires, it focuses on the importance of monitoring, verifying to prevent recurrence in the future", he told reporters.

"It gives a framework for us to move ahead."

However Greenpeace's chief Indonesia forest campaigner, Bustar Maital, said ASEAN must widen its focus to prevent the rapid rate of deforestation in Indonesia and across the region, rather than simply focus on the fires.

"Deforestation is the main driver of the forest fires," he told AFP.

The Haze: Another Indonesian Minister slams S'pore

Thursday, Jun 27, 2013

SINGAPORE - Singapore and Malaysia should "know themselves" (tahu diri) over the haze, said Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik (above) on Monday.

He accused both countries of trying to discredit Indonesia over the issue, reported The Straits Times.

"Let me remind our friends from Malaysia, Singapore, don't just because of the haze, tell stories to the world," he said when opening a meeting of senior energy officials from Asean countries in Bali.

"It's called sharing, you go through good times together don't make noise to the world when things go bad. It's just like husband and wife don't take your quarrel outside."

Mr Jero also told reporters yesterday that Malaysia and Singapore had made much profit from Indonesia all this while, news website merdeka.com reported. But they were now trying to discredit Indonesia when they should help, he said.

Mr Jero said Malaysia had benefited from bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, including electricity imports from Indonesia.

Singapore, likewise, had also benefited from Indonesia's gas supply and the large number of Indonesian tourists visiting the Republic.

Both countries should sit together to resolve the problem without making a big deal of it to the world, he added.

But later on Monday, his boss, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, struck a more conciliatory tone as he apologised for the haze.

"For what has happened, as President, I say sorry and seek the understanding of our relatives in Singapore and Malaysia," he said.

The New Paper

Foreign Minister says Indonesia will not apologise to Singapore for haze

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa has said the Indonesian government will not issue an apology to Singapore for the haze crisis.Singapore has never asked for an apology from Indonesia, only action to stop the haze.

According to a report in The Straits Times, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said he hoped the Indonesians would adopt a neighbourly spirit. This came after remarks from an Indonesian minister saying that Singapore’s reaction to the haze was childish.

Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said Singapore had offered assistance at all levels, from aircraft to manpower, to Indonesia to combat the haze. But unlike in 2005 when the Indonesians accepted assistance from Singapore, the current offer has yet to be taken up because as mentioned here:

Mr Agung also rebuked any offer of financial aid from Singapore, unless it was a large amount. 
“If it’s just half a million (dollars), better we use our own budget.”

Credits:STOMP and Article HERE

At the same time, spotted on EDMW forums here:

Indonesians’ kind gesture

AS SINGAPORE chokes on the haze drifting over from Sumatran fires, a group of Indonesians have been trying to make amends.

Ministers discuss ways to counter haze

30/6/2013

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have discussed the way forward on mitigating the risk of haze, which has affected the three countries in the past weeks.

The discussion was done in an informal trilateral meeting initiated by Malaysia on the sidelines of the 46th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei yesterday.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman attended the meeting with his counterparts from Indonesia and Singapore, Dr. RM Marty M.Natalegawa and K.Shanmugam respectively.

According to a statement from the Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat of the Foreign Affairs Ministry here today, among the practical ways to mitigate the risk of haze discussed in the meeting included the expeditious ratification and operationalization of the Asean Transboundary Haze Pollution Agreement. “The ministers had a frank, candid and constructive discussion on the recent problem caused by haze that affected many parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore,” it said.

During the meeting, the ministers noted the improving situation in the affected areas in Sumatra whereby the acreage had reduced from 16,500 hectares to 4,081 hectares. They also noted that as of June 28, 2013, the number of hotspots dropped to 7 from 261 due to cloud seeding and water bomber operations undertaken by the Indonesian government as well as the favourable and precipitous weather condition.

“The ministers also agreed that further discussions on the haze issue would be taken up at the 46th AMM. In the spirit of Asean solidarity, the ministers agreed that the rest of the Asean family would be updated and kept abreast on the issue surrounding the three countries,” said the statement.

Anifah is leading the Malaysian delegation to the 46th AMM in Bandar Seri Begawan from June 29 to July 2. Bernama

Dumai is epicentre of haze

Wednesday June 26, 2013

DUMAI: Sitting at a stall by a centre coordinating efforts by a special unit to fight peat fire, one of my newly-made friends asked if Malaysia could send help to put an end to the smog from peat fires.

“We have minimal equipment, only a water pump and hose to put out the smoke,” said the man named Nafi.

“Hopefully, Malaysia could send an aircraft to help us,” he added.

Cameraman Lim Cheng Kiat and I were to cover the haze in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau, a province in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. Dumai wasn’t in our plan.

But we decided to come here anyway as the people in Pekanbaru told us that Dumai was “the epicentre of the haze”.

Leaving our hotel in Pekanbaru at about 7am on Monday, it took us about six hours to arrive in Dumai using the Jalan Lintas Timur.

The 250km journey passed through Kandis, Bengkalis, Duri, Simpang Bangko, Bukit Timah, Minas, Ujung Tanjung and Rokan Hilir before reaching Dumai.

The haze was bad as we were leaving Pekanbaru, unlike a day before when the air quality had improved.

Our supir (driver) Tarmi said the skies looked dirty, the air smelled bad and “the sun look sick”, referring to the ochre-coloured sun.

There were signs along the route, reminding motorists it was accident-prone. There had already been several road casualties in the area.

Along the way, we saw evidences of the slash-and-burn methods used by the traditional farmers.

We made a detour at Jalan Bukit Timah, Mandau, after seeing smoke billowing from a distance.

Entering the jalan kampung (village tracks), we saw dark smog coming from the pineapple farms and other plantations belonging to villagers. Much of the undergrowth was being burned and turned to ashes.

We stopped by the roadside. Tarmi and I entered the plantation area and I lost my balance while stepping on the dried tree trunks.

My legs sank into the peat soil which was up to almost knee high and my RM125 sandals got caught in it.

We stopped at the special unit post to clean up and to chit-chat with the staff there. They were on their lunch break at a nearby stall.

Unit commander Ustil said the peat soil fire started in Simpang Bako a month ago, adding that it was not due to slash-and-burn but more so by the on-going dry season.

He said that 1,000ha of pineapple farms and thousands of hectares of estates had been razed, causing huge loses to smallholders.

Others who joined us at the stall – Dodi, Putra and Coki – wanted to know how bad the haze was in Malaysia and were surprised when told that schools were forced to close.

Nafi joked: “Ya Pak, Indonesia expor asap dengan TKI ke Malaysia, Malaysia pula expor narkoba sama teroris ke Indonesia.”

(Indonesia exports smoke and manpower to Malaysia, Malaysia in turn exports drugs and terrorists to Indonesia.)

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/6/26/nation/13285917&sec=nation

Hazy photos

Singapore and Malaysia accused of trying to discredit Indonesia over the haze

Tuesday June 25, 2013

JAKARTA: An Indonesian minister has said Singapore and Malaysia should “know themselves” over the haze, accusing both of trying to discredit Indonesia over the issue.

“Let me remind our friends from Malaysia, Singapore, don't just because of the haze tell stories to the world,” said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik when opening a meeting of senior energy officials from Asean countries in Nusa Dua, Bali, yesterday.

“It's called sharing, you go through good times together, don't make noise to the world when things go bad. It's just like husband and wife, don't take your quarrels outside,” he added.
His comments, carried on several local media outlets, came as Antara news agency reported the haze situation worsening over Dumai, Riau province, yesterday morning, with several local residents thinking of evacuating to areas with cleaner air.

On Saturday, Antara also reported that the government was wary of some parties trying to carry out a “black campaign” to take advantage of the haze situation to discredit Indonesia globally.
Both Malaysia and Singapore officials have offered help to their Indonesian counterparts, but Indonesia has yet to respond.

However, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono last week said Indonesia did not need help, adding that Singapore was “acting like a child” over the haze.
Yesterday, Jero also told reporters that both Malaysia and Singapore had made much profit from Indonesia all this while, news website merdeka.com reported.

“But they were now trying to discredit Indonesia when they should help,” he said, citing how Malaysia had benefited from bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, including electricity imports from Indonesia.
Likewise, he said, Singapore had benefited from Indonesia's gas supply as well as the large number of Indonesian tourists visiting Singapore.

Both countries should sit together to resolve the problem without making a big deal of it to the world, he added.

“Moreover, there are indications Malaysian companies are involved in burning to clear land. If this is true, both countries' image will be tarnished globally,” he added.

The Indonesian government, he said, was also doing its utmost to put out the fires.


Yesterday, local media also reported that police in Rokan Hilir, Riau, arrested two individuals alleged to have started large fires on their land, which rapidly spread to neighbouring areas. - The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Indonesia arrests 8 in fires causing choking haze

Indonesian authorities have arrested eight farmers for setting illegal fires on Sumatra island to clear land after numerous blazes created a thick haze choking parts of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, police said on Tuesday.

The farmers were arrested on Monday and Tuesday after being caught “red-handed”, said local police spokesman Lt. Col. Hermansyah. He did not say whether they were employed by some companies that have been accused of deliberately starting the fires.

About 1,100 residents were forced to flee Rantau Bais and Bangko Pusako villages in Riau province on Tuesday as acrid smoke from nearby burning peat swamps and palm oil plantations made breathing difficult, Mr. Hermansyah said.

“The smoke has hurt their throats and eyes”, Mr. said Hermansyah. “Visibility there is really bad.”

A day after apologising to neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono deployed 2,000 additional personnel on Tuesday to fight the fires that have affected air quality and caused respiratory problems among some people. He has called for an investigation, but said it appeared the fires were being caused by natural and human factors.

Indonesia’s environmental minister, Balthasar Kambuaya, told reporters on Sunday that authorities were investigating eight plantation companies that may have started the fires.

Riau forestry official Ahmad Saeroji estimated the burned area was around 2,000 hectares. Satellite pictures have detected about 200 fires on plantations in the area.

Authorities warned motorists and fishermen in parts of the province to stay home this week due to poor visibility from the haze. However, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that it was raining in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru and in several hotspots after the government deployed aircraft for cloud seeding.

Each year, forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands smother parts of nearby Singapore and Malaysia in haze. The Indonesian government usually blames plantation owners and traditional farmers for illegally setting fires as a cheap way to clear land. 

source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/indonesia-arrests-8-in-fires-causing-choking-haze/article4850021.ece

Indonesian fires worsen, Singapore smog sets record

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia deployed military planes on Friday to fight forest fires that blanketed neighbouring Singapore in record levels of hazardous smog for a third day in one of Southeast Asia's worst air-pollution crises.

As Singaporeans donned face masks and pulled children from playgrounds and Malaysia closed schools in the south, the deliberately-lit fires grew bigger in some areas. Whipped up by winds, the blazes added to fears over health problems and diplomatic tension in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"The winds are picking up and the weather isn't very good at the moment, so the fires in some places are getting bigger," said Gunawan, a fire-fighter who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "We are working as hard as possible to control the fires...but we're facing difficult conditions."

Indonesia blamed eight companies, including Jakarta-based PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) and Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), for the fires. The government, which said it would take action against any company responsible for the disaster, is expected to name the rest of the firms on Saturday.

"The majority of hotspots in Riau (province) are inside APRIL and Sinar Mas concessions," senior presidential aide Kuntoro Mangkusubroto told Reuters.

An APRIL statement said the company and third-party suppliers had a "strict no-burn policy" for all concessions in Indonesia.

An analysis of satellite maps and government data by Reuters and the think tank World Resources Institute also revealed spot fires on land licensed to Singapore-listed First Resources Ltd and Indonesia's Provident Agro.

The analysis did not reveal the cause of the fires or who was at fault.

A spokeswoman for Golden Agri Resources, SMART's Singapore-listed parent, said the company knew of no hotspots on its concessions.

Illegal burning on Indonesia's Sumatra island typically takes place in the June to September dry season to clear space for palm oil plantations. This year's fires are unusually widespread and the haze is the worst in Singapore's history.

Singapore's government has warned it could last weeks.

Indonesia has earmarked around 200 billion rupiah (13 million pounds) to handle the disaster. Seven military aircraft were deployed for water bombings and rain seeding.

"HAZARDOUS"

Hospitals in Dumai and Bengkalis in Indonesia's Riau province recorded increases in cases of asthma, lung, eye and skin problems, health official Arifin Zainal said.

The Dumai airport remained closed for a third day.

In Singapore, the number of residents wearing face masks rose markedly as the pollution standards index (PSI) climbed to a new record of 401 at midday, a level which health authorities consider potentially life-threatening for the elderly. The PSI moderated later to an "unhealthy" 142 by mid-evening.

"Basically, what a 'hazardous' PSI level means is that the pollution will cause damage to the lining of the breathing tube," said Dr Kenneth Chan, consultant respiratory physician at Singapore's Gleneagles Medical Centre. "If the lining of the breathing tube is damaged, it will make the patient more vulnerable to various infections."

In Malaysia, southern Johor state was the worst affected, with pollution readings remaining in the "hazardous" category.

COSTLY FIRE

Air pollution has long been a serious problem in many Asian cities such as New Delhi, Beijing and Hong Kong but it is only an issue in Singapore when the smoke blows in from Sumatra.

According to one method of measuring pollution, the one authorities use in China's capital, Singapore's air was much worse than Beijing's on Friday, according to state agency data.

The cost of the current haze for Singapore could be hundreds of millions of dollars, brokerage CLSA said in a report.

It said that in 2006, when the pollution index reached 150, it was estimated the haze cost $50 million (32.4 million pounds) and in 1997 it was $300 million. CLSA said the 1997 and 2006 figures seemed low when considering the direct and indirect cost of prolonged haze.

Workers in Singapore could still be seen toiling at some construction sites despite the elevated levels. The Singapore government has so far only issued only broad guidelines about employers having to ensure the health and safety of workers.

"Even as our government rails against the corporate interests in Sumatra who are willing to sacrifice human health for profits, the Ministry of Manpower still isn't practicing what they preach by allowing construction companies in Singapore to make their workers slog through the smog," the Online Citizen, a socio-political website, said in a commentary.

(Additional reporting by Aubrey Belford and Heru Aspirhanto in Jakarta, Eveline Danubrata, Anshuman Daga, John O'Callaghan and Kevin Lim in Singapore, Stuart Grudgings in Kuala Lumpur and Lavinia Mo in Hong Kong; Writing by Randy Fabi.)

Indonesia says Singapore acting 'like a child' over haze

JAKARTA: Indonesia on Thursday accused Singapore of acting "like a child" over choking smog from forest fires in Sumatra that has triggered an environmental crisis, as the city-state's premier warned it could last weeks.

The escalation in tensions between tiny Singapore and its vast neighbour came as the levels of haze enveloping the island hit a new record high, shrouding the whole city, from residential blocks to tree-lined parks.

As the acrid smell of burnt wood crept into people's flats and medical masks sold out at drug stores, the city-state's environment chief demanded "decisive action" to address the crisis after talks with Indonesian officials in Jakarta. 

Singapore has been ratcheting up pressure for Jakarta to act over one of its worst ever environmental crises - but Indonesia, which insists companies in the city-state that own plantations on Sumatra also share the blame, hit back. 

"Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise," Agung Laksono, the minister coordinating Indonesia's response, told reporters. "This is not what the Indonesian nation wants, it is because of nature." 

Singapore's air pollution index hit a new all-time high Thursday, soaring to 371 at 1pm (0500 GMT), well past the previous record of 321 set the night before, before falling later in the afternoon.

Any reading above 300 is "hazardous" while a reading above 400 is deemed "life-threatening to ill and elderly people," according to government guidelines. 

Singapore's prime minister declined to respond to Laksono's provocative comments, saying he did not want to engage in "megaphone diplomacy". 

Lee urged people to stay indoors and protect themselves from the haze which has hung over the island since Monday, asking citizens to "look out for one another". 

"We cannot tell how the haze problem will develop," Lee told a press conference. "It can easily last for several weeks and quite possibly longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra." 

Andrew Tan, the head of Singapore's national environment agency, said that officials from the city-state and their Indonesian counterparts had a "very frank exchange of views" during the emergency talks in Jakarta. 

"The situation is deteriorating," he said. "We have highlighted to our Indonesian counterparts that it is time now for decisive action." 

Drug stores in Singapore's central business district were sold out of disposable masks and refused to take advance orders, as the strong odour seeped into homes across the island as well as inside the air-conditioned trains of the metro system.

Parks were empty of the usual morning joggers, but thousands of employees still trooped to offices and labourers continued their work on high-rise buildings under construction. 

The previous Singapore air pollutant index high of 226 was recorded in September 1997 at the height of a Southeast Asian calamity also resulting from vast amounts of haze from Indonesia, where slash-and-burn farming generates heavy smoke during the dry season that begins in June. 

Parts of Malaysia close to Singapore have also been severely affected by the smog. 

Laksono said that plans to use cloud-seeding to unleash rain over Sumatra and put out the fires were also under way, and it was hoped helicopters could be dispatched on Friday. 

Haze was also affecting the Indonesian island of Batam, just south of Singapore, where authorities were handing out free masks. 

Visibility was poor and people complained of having sore eyes and not being able to breathe properly. 

Smallholders and plantations in Sumatra - some of them with Singaporean investors - have been accused of using fire to clear land for cultivation, but big palm oil companies deny involvement in such activities. – AFP

Source - The Star; Published: Thursday June 20, 2013 MYT 8:57:00 PM 

Malaysian firms not the culprits?

Wednesday August 17, 2005

PUTRAJAYA: None of the Malaysian-owned plantations in Sumatra has carried out open burning there.

After meeting the CEOs and senior officials of 18 Malaysian plantation companies that operate in Indonesia, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin was elated to learn that Malaysian companies were not the culprits behind the haze.

From the explanations given to him by the company representatives at the dialogue held at the ministry’s office yesterday, Chin said it was clear that Malaysian companies would have to be “silly” to conduct open burning.

“All the oil palm estates owned by them, especially in the Riau area, have an age profile of seven to 11 years,” he said, adding that Malaysian-owned estates accounted for 10% of the land area of all the plantations in Riau.

“There is no reason why they would burn trees that are already mature and bearing fruit. Who in their right mind would do that?”

On Tuesday, Indonesian Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said eight Malaysian companies had lit fires on their pulp and oil palm plantations.

Chin said the Malaysian firms confirmed that five of the eight companies belonged to them but the owners maintained that these estates practise the “zero-burning” policy.

The five companies are PT Tunga Mitra, PT Bumi Reksa, PT Multi Gambut, PT Langgam and PT Mustika.

“As for the other three companies, nobody knows who they belong to as the companies they may be operating under were not here (for the dialogue),” he said.

The minister also explained the hotspots in Malaysian-owned land in Sumatra that were detected by satellites.

In some cases, he said, there were Indonesians squatting on estate land belonging to the Malaysian companies.

“Sometimes, the people who live within the boundaries of these estates may have started the fires,” he said.

Chin said the Government had to accept the Malaysian companies’ word that they did not start any fire, until the Indonesians can provide proof to the contrary.

“If they are guilty, we will let them face the full force of the Indonesian law,” he said.

Earlier in Seremban, Chin said there were a total of 24 companies owned by Malaysians operating in Sumatra and Kalimantan, mostly in the oil palm industry.

He also suggested that the Indonesian government conduct cloud seeding in Riau as a temporary measure to reduce the effects of the haze.

In Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar called on Asean member countries to put in place a regional action plan to tackle the annual haze problem.

He said the existing Asean Transboundary Haze Pollution Control Agreement was ineffective because there was no mechanism to prevent haze from recurring.

“If we take action only when the situation turns ugly, it will affect the co-operation within Asean.

“We know it is going to happen again, so we need to put in place the necessary mechanisms to stop it,” he told reporters after opening an international humanitarian law seminar.

He said the December summit of Asean Foreign Ministers in Kuala Lumpur would discuss the setting up of an action plan because the issue requires political will and commitment.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/17/nation/11795481&sec=nation

Malaysia Airlines cautions on flights retimings during haze

JUNE 25, 2013

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has advised its passengers on last-minute flight cancellation and retiming due to the current haze situation.

Its operations director, Izham Ismail, said specific stations were under close watch for possible closure or interruption, namely Kuantan's Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport, Kota Baru's Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kuala Terengganu's Sultan Mahmud Airport, KL International Airport (KLIA) and Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).

"MAS is working closely with the airport authorities in monitoring the situation and will adjust our flight operations into and out of the affected airports when necessary."

MAS has formed a haze secretariat to monitor the situation on an hourly basis and provide updates three times daily.

The airline also encouraged passengers to check the status of their flights at www.malaysiaairlines.com or call the toll-free number 1300 88 3000 prior to leaving for the airport and for updates. - Bernama, June 25, 2013.

Origins of Indonesian Forest Fires

Fingers point to Riau governor on illegal logging permits leading to haze

JUNE 25, 2013

Corruption and companies taking advantage of lax enforcement and murky regulations to clear forests are the major causes of the haze that is smothering Malaysia and Singapore, an Indonesian-based eco-business writer has charged.

And here is the really bad news for Malaysians and Singaporeans: the hunger for kickbacks increases when elections are around the corner. As elections are due next year, this may be one reason why the burning of forests is worse this time around.

The writer noted that as soon as it became clear the bulk of the burning was taking place in the Riau province, fingers were pointed at the leading suspect in the issuing of illegal logging permit: Rusli Zainal, the governor of Riau.

Writing for a sustainable business website, www.ecobusiness.com, Ms Sara Schonhardt quoted Danang widiyoko, chairman of Indonesian Corruption Watch, as saying: “The haze disaster shows the impact of corruption in the forestry sector.’’ Writing for a sustainable business website, www.ecobusiness.com, Ms Sara Schonhardt quoted Danang widiyoko, chairman of Indonesian Corruption Watch, as saying: “The haze disaster shows the impact of corruption in the forestry sector.’’
  Writing for a sustainable business website, www.ecobusiness.com, Ms Sara Schonhardt quoted Danang widiyoko, chairman of Indonesian Corruption Watch, as saying: “The haze disaster shows the impact of corruption in the forestry sector.’’

The independent graft monitor recently assessed permit processes in regions where heaviest logging occurred and noted five cases of corruption which led to protected forests being converted to plantations.

The forestry sector has long been a source of rampant corruption. When Suharto was president, concessions were given to friends and relatives in return for political backing. As power devolved over the past decade from Jakarta to the local level, corruption has become more fragmented.

The report noted that logging and oil palm companies that cut into virgin forests and peatlands are scaling back conservation efforts – often with the backing of local leaders seeking kickbacks in return for operating permits. The problem gets worse in election years, when officials need money to fund campaigns.

With national elections due next year, this is one reason the burning may be worse this time around.  In many instances, the kickbacks persuade local leaders charged with supervising plantation operations to look the other way when companies burn land in protected forest areas, said Danang.

Even the central government concedes that some mining and plantation companies are operating illegally but say their hands are tied because it is regional politicians who dish out the permits.

Indonesia has one of the fastest rates of forest clearing in the world, much of it done to make way for palm oil. Many Malaysian plantation companies have also opened vast tracts of land there. Many of the forests that are being developed stand on peat lands that release large amounts of carbon emissions when upended. The peat also becomes highly combustible after it decomposes.