PUTRAJAYA: Amid reports of developing forest fires in Sumatra, Malaysia says it will hold on to Indonesia’s assurance that there will be no repeat of the haze crisis two years ago. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar expressed confidence in the measures taken by the Indonesian government to combat forest fires in the aftermath of the 2015 incident. These include setting up a specific department to tackle the issue and a special task force involving the police, the army and other authorities to handle forest fires. “With the task force, their response to forest fires is quicker, and many fires have been put out before they could spread. “Indonesia has also increased its fire-fighting assets, including the purchase of helicopters that carry water to put out fires.

Source: The Star July 26, 2017 23:26 UTC