Malaysia, Indonesia to cooperate in tackling haze problem

 Malaysia and Indonesia will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement measures to curb bush fires that have contributed to transborderary haze, a government official said Thursday.
Malaysia's Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister James Dawos Mamit said the initiative aimed at assisting the country's Indonesian counterparts in Riau, Sumatra province in preventing bush fire during the annual dry season (November to May) .
"The time frame under the present MoU will end this year and we will be signing a new agreement soon," he told local reporters.
He said there are plans to assist Indonesia in tackling the haze problem under the proposed MoU.
The transboundary haze caused by the practice of slash and burn to clear land for agricultural purposes has been a headache and a diplomatic challenge for countries in the region.
Earlier this year, fires razed some 21,000 hectors of dried peat land swamps in Indonesia's Riau Province with 1,243 hotspots detected at the height of the fires on March 2.
During the last dry season, smoke from Indonesian forest fires shrouded Singapore and Malaysia in a thick haze that sent air pollution measures to "hazardous levels" -- the highest on record.