SE Asia nations pledge to support fund against haze
Source: Reuters
By Manny Mogato MACTAN ISLAND, Philippines, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations pledged on Saturday to contribute to a regional fund to help fight forest fires in Indonesia that have spread smoke across the region, environment officials said. The 10 ministers from Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), meeting on a resort island in the central Philippines, ended two days of talks on environment issues, focusing on how to prevent land and forest fires in the region. "We were committed to continue assisting member countries affected by the recurring smoke problem," said Angelo Reyes, Manila's environment secretary, after Singapore and Indonesia committed an initial $50,000 each to jumpstart the fund. Reyes said further discussions on the mechanism and modalities of the haze fund would be taken up by ASEAN leaders due to meet next month on Mactan island. Indonesia's neighbours have grown increasingly frustrated by the fires, most of which are deliberately lit by farmers or by timber and palm oil plantation companies -- some owned by Singaporeans and Malaysians -- to clear land for cultivation. The smoke from the fires, known in the region as haze, affected much of Southeast Asia for months until rains a few weeks ago, triggering fears of a repeat of the choking smog that hit the region in 1997-98. Indonesia's environment minister Rachmat Witoelar has told reporters about 90 percent of land and forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands had been extinguished, but was worried that these could flare up in early 2007 should El Nino conditions intensify. "We're watching closely potential spontaneous burnings in the uninhabited areas," Witoelar said, adding the two Russian planes used in dousing fires would continue flying until February 2007 to make sure there were no more burning lands. Southeast Asian environment ministers also called on Indonesia and the Philippines to ratify a 2002 agreement on ways to prevent the haze. They also endorsed Jakarta's plans to set up an early warning system, build dams to block streams and rivers to divert water to underground peatlands and set up community-based firefighting brigades on Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands, where most fires have raged. (Reporting by Manny Mogato, editing by Sanjeev Miglani; Reuters Messaging: manuel.mogato.reuters.com@reuters.net; +632 841 8913))
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