Four plaintiffs, including a local chapter of Indigenous NGO AMAN, filed a class-action lawsuit against the Indonesian government at a court in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, last month, accusing it of “gross negligence” in handling recurring forest and land fires.
We previously reported, the case names 10 defendants, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and a provincial governor.
Prabowo agrees to take action over worsening haze
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to take the necessary steps to tackle the haze affecting Malaysia, following a recent phone call between the two leaders.
Anwar said Malaysia’s API readings have reached worrying levels, stressing that Indonesia must take immediate and effective action to address the source of the haze, with Malaysia ready to cooperate, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.
“I have contacted Indonesian President Prabowo, and he has agreed to take the necessary steps. This commitment must be followed by immediate and effective action by Indonesia to address the source of the haze, with Malaysia ready to cooperate.
“At the same time, the Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) and the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup) have also contacted their respective counterparts,” he said.
Malaysia steps up near-daily cloud-seeding operations
Anwar said the government is also looking into holding another meeting with ASEAN environment ministers to discuss the haze situation, with the Foreign Minister asked to contact the ASEAN Secretariat.
He added that Malaysia has been carrying out cloud-seeding operations almost daily with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and other relevant agencies, but the situation remains worrying.
“We will keep trying. These are among the measures we are taking and monitoring as we continue to address the haze,” he said.
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