Indonesia: South-east Asia choked by forest fires
Indonesia: South-east Asia choked by forest fires
18 July 2002
Source and Copyright: ABC News Online
Haze from forest fires in Indonesia is causing new health concerns across south-east Asia.
A thick blanket of smoke is covering parts of Malaysia and southern Thailand, prompting health authorities to advise residents to stay indoors. Visibility in some towns is so poor that traffic has slowed to a crawl.
Further east the Governor of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan has declared a state of crisis, ordering action to curb forest and ground fires that have choked the area.
Three years ago land-clearing fires created a haze across vast areas of south-east Asia, but a authorities say a ban on illegal burn-offs has proved difficult to enforce.
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