Indonesia believes its forest fires not on agenda for Asean Ministerial Meeting
Indonesia believes its forest fires not on agenda for Asean Ministerial Meeting
29 September 2015
published by www.thestar.com.my
Indonesia/ASEAN– Indonesia believes its forest fires will not be on the agenda of the 10th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) this week.
Indonesian police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said the country’s long-standing problem of forest fires will not be an agenda at AMMTC because it was not a transnational crime, but an issue to be dealt at another platform.
“At the moment we have dealt with approximately 210 cases of forest fires both from Sumatera and Kalimantan.
“All the cases are being investigated, including those involving some corporations, and about 40 of the cases can be charged in court soon,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting Tuesday.
Asked on a Singaporean volunteer group’s plan to sue companies involved in starting fires in Indonesia, Badrodin said there was no action by Indonesian police on the matter at the moment.
“Coordination for the matter will be managed by the foreign ministry.
“It is also important to note that while most of the corporations that condone the open burning have Indonesian names, they could actually be run by foreign investors,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later responded to Badrodin’s statement, saying he appreciated the Indonesian government’s commitment towards solving the problem.
“Hopefully with a more comprehensive approach and effort, this haze won’t be a problem from next year on.
“I am confident that the Indonesian president (Joko Widodo) will be able to tackle the problem as well,” he told reporters at a press conference here.
