FIRES IN BORNEO
Forest fires often break out in the region during dry spells because of the spread of illegal land-clearing fires, or carelessly discarded cigarettes. Borneo suffered a massive forest fire in the 1980s. See Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur reported unhealthy air quality levels in 1997, when brush fires in Indonesia destroyed some 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of vegetation, cloaking much of Southeast Asia with haze. Malaysia rushed firefighters to Indonesia. Economic losses from those fires topped US$9.3 billion and prompted a 2002 agreement among six of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations members to fight fire pollution.
During the period of haze and fires in 1997, officials at the Southeast Asia Games in Kuala Lumpur were unable to start the games when they wanted to when haze blocked out sunlight that was supposed to be focused by a huge magnifying glass into a giant bowl to produce a flame.
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Indonesian Forest Fires in 2005 Blanket Malaysia in Haze
In August 2005, forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra province covered Kuala Lumpur and other cities and towns in Malaysia with a smoky haze that reduced visibility to as low as one kilometer (half a mile). Associated Press reported: “The Department of Environment said air quality in an area in central Perak state was "unhealthy," and it downgraded air quality in 32 other areas nationwide, including Kuala Lumpur, from "good" to "moderate." It said in a statement that satellite images showed 587 "hot spots," or fires, in Riau and northern Sumatra in Indonesia. The province is separated from peninsular Malaysia by the narrow Malacca Strait. [Source: Associated Press, August 4, 2005]
Seventeen hot spots were also seen in Malaysia's Sarawak state, and 16 in Indonesia's Kalimantan province, both on Borneo island, it said. "Southwesterly winds are blowing from Sumatra to Malaysia. We can expect the hazy conditions to persist for the next one to two days until the wind direction changes," a weather forecaster at the meteorological department told The Associated Press. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's biggest city and its financial capital, traffic slowed to a crawl as nothing could be seen beyond a distance of one kilometer (a half mile). The acrid smell of burning vegetation filled the air.
Vijay Joshi of Associated Press wrote: Malaysia's leader declared an emergency in two regions, closing workplaces and calling on mosques to hold special prayers for rain to rid the country of hazardous haze drifting from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. The worst environmental crisis to hit Malaysia in eight years is threatening public health and disrupting traffic by reducing visibility. Hundreds of forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, just across the Malacca Strait, have stoked choking, acrid haze that causes eyes to redden and leaves throats raspy. The fires are an annual occurrence, and Malaysian officials have expressed frustration over Indonesia's failure to tackle the problem. Indonesia's forestry minister, Malam Sambat Kaban, countered that 10 Malaysian firms clearing land in Indonesia had contributed to the problem. The two countries did agree Thursday to use cloud seeding to try to induce rain over the forest fires. [Source: Vijay Joshi, Associated Press, August 11, 2005]
The smoke has blown over the western coast of Malaysia, shrouding its biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, its capital, Putrajaya, the technology city Cyberjaya and the biggest port district, Port Klang. "In my office, things look normal, but if I go down to the building's lobby area, I can smell smoke. Even in the basement car park I can smell smoke," said Liew Cow Yuan, a consultant with the DHL Express Global Data Center in Cyberjaya.
The haze is a mixture of dust, ash, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. Travel agents said the haze would have minimal impact on tourism because key destinations such as Langkawi and Penang in northern Malaysia were not affected. However, Malaysia's benchmark stock index slipped amid worries that prolonged haze could undercut palm oil exports, tourism and other economic sectors. The Meteorology Department said no respite was expected until October, when rains would help.
State of Emergency Declared and Open Fires banned During the 2005 Forest-Fire-Induced Haze
Vijay Joshi of Associated Press wrote: “Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared a state of emergency in Port Klang and in Kuala Selangor, a tourist area known for its fireflies, after the air pollution index reached 500 — the emergency level. It is the first time the 500-level has been breached in Malaysia. Under the emergency rules, Port Klang, the country's biggest and busiest harbor, will be shut down. All educational institutions and government and private workplaces will also be closed, including factories, construction sites and quarries. [Source: Vijay Joshi, Associated Press, August 11, 2005 ]
“However, supermarkets, shops selling food and drinks, pharmacies and essential services will remain open. Road work will be suspended and the use of personal cars and trucks will be discouraged. Four other areas, including the financial capital Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, had air pollution levels above 300. Schools in and around Kuala Lumpur were closed for two days.
But people went to work Thursday, many wearing surgical masks that offered little protection from the noxious air. Landmarks in Kuala Lumpur, such as the tops of the Petronas Twin Towers vanished in the haze. Acrid smoke seeped into office air-conditioning systems.
"The air is so bad that my eyes are stinging," said Gerard Miranda, a 31-year-old shopper. "I had breathing difficulties when I was outside this building, probably because I've a sinus problem that is being aggravated by the haze."
New agencies reported: “Schools in Selangor would be closed for the rest of this week, state Chief Minister Khir Toyo said. Bernama said the worsening haze had forced authorities at the country's biggest port, Port Klang, to halt operations for 90 minutes. But the port would remain closed if the situation worsened, it quoted port authority chairman Yap Pian Hon as saying. An airport on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur closed as visibility fell below 300m, grounding the small government and private jets that use it. Asthma attacks have soared and tourists are holing up in hotels or seeking refuge in air-conditioned malls at one of the busiest times. Tour operators said they were in talks to find ways to dispel travelers' fears over the haze. [Source: Agencies, August 12, 2005]
Earlier Associated Press reported: “Malaysia has banned most forms of open burning, including camp fires and outdoor cooking, in a desperate measure to ease the stifling haze blanketing Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas due to smoke from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia. The Meteorological Department repeated a low visibility warning to vessels plying the Malacca Strait, a busy shipping lane that separates peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island. "The situation is hazardous to ships without navigational equipment," the department said. Visibility was around 1 kilometer (about half a mile) over the central and southern area of the channel, it said. [Source: Associated Press, August 9, 2005 /*/]
“The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said in a statement received Tuesday that the air in seven areas including the capital Putrajaya and the country's largest city Kuala Lumpur has become unhealthy from the haze.The dirty white acrid haze has hung over the Klang Valley which comprises Kuala Lumpur, making it unhealthy to walk outdoors. Doctors have reported a rise in the number of patients suffering from sore throats and nasal congestion, the New Straits Times reported. /*/
“The ban on open fires includes burning of animal and bird carcasses, solid fuels, diseased plants, camp fires, leaves, tree branches, yard trimmings, industrial inflammable gases and structures for fire control training. However, outdoor grills, barbecues and burning of articles as part of religious rites are permitted, the ministry statement said. Those engaged in open burning could face a maximum fine of 500,000 ringgit (US$133,500; euro111,250) and five years' jail. /*/
“The Star newspaper quoted Indonesia's Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar as saying that he was sorry Malaysia is facing problems because of his country. "The haze has become more acute for our neighbors ... and we are truly sorry for this. We are very concerned about the worsening situation, caused mainly by open burning in Sumatra," he was quoted as saying. /*/
Praying for Rain and Other Efforts to End the Fires in 2005
Malaysia’s prime minister urged people to seek divine help to overcome the crisis and called on mosques to hold special prayers for rain that would wash away the haze. "This is my approach. When such things happen, we must also pray to God to seek help," Abdullah told reporters.
The BBC reported: “Malaysia's Muslim community has been asked to pray for rain to lift the smog that has enveloped the capital and surrounding areas. "When something like this happens, we have to ask for God's help," said Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. The smog is drifting across to Malaysia from land clearance fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The haze has eased slightly since Malaysia declared an emergency in two badly affected areas. But many people are continuing to wear face masks, some schools remain closed and the air in six districts is still classed as hazardous. [Source: BBC, August 12, 2005]
“More than 1,000 separate fires are still burning in Sumatra, and Indonesian officials have warned that it could be several days before they are brought under control. The remoteness of some areas and a lack of resources are hampering efforts to extinguish the fires. Malaysia has offered to send reinforcements, but is reported to be waiting for Indonesia to give the go ahead.
Jasbant Singh of Associated Press wrote: “Officials from the two countries agreed that joint cloud seeding operations to create artificial rain over burning forests would begin August 22 in Sumatra and Borneo, said Koes Saparjati, an Indonesian Forestry Ministry official in Jakarta. Cloud seeding involves releasing a chemical at high altitude to accelerate the formation of rain-producing clouds. It has been tried in the past with mixed results, and many scientists have questioned its efficacy. [Source: Jasbant Singh, Associated Press, August 16, 2005]
The haze dissipated in Malaysia after about ten days with changing winds and rains.
Corruption, Causes and Blame for the Forest Fires in 2005
The BBC reported: “Critics say corruption, a lack of funds and poor law enforcement are to blame for many of the fires. Environmentalists accuse big palm oil producers in the area of using the cheap but dangerous slash-and-burn method to clear land for their plantations - a method they need official permits to use. But in practice, these permits are often easy to obtain and even if the firms accidentally start a fire, they are rarely prosecuted, due to what many environmental campaigners claim is an increasingly fraudulent system. [Source: BBC, August 12, 2005]
"Corruption and collusion is rampant. It's become public knowledge and no longer a secret," Ruly Syumanda, a spokesman for an Indonesian environmental watchdog, told the French news agency AFP. While criticism has been heaped on Indonesia for failing to stop practices which can lead to forest fires, many of the large palm oil firms in the area are actually owned by businessmen from Malaysia.
In comments likely to spark fresh controversy, the Indonesian forestry minister said on Friday that at least 10 Malaysian plantation companies were operating in the affected area of Sumatra. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi vowed that action would be taken against any Malaysian companies caught burning forests in Indonesia. "I feel very wretched. By now, they should have realised that what they did would have an impact here in Malaysia, their own country," he told the Associated Press.
In Kuala Lumpur, many people believe the blame lies squarely with Indonesia. Dozens of demonstrators turned up outside the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, angry that nothing had been done to put a stop to the problem. The Malaysian media also criticised Indonesia for not having signed a regional agreement on cross-border pollution.
Combating the Causes of the Forest Fires in 2005
Jasbant Singh of Associated Press wrote: “Indonesia is free to prosecute Malaysian-owned plantations responsible for setting forest-clearing fires on Sumatra island, the foreign minister said, as he called for a regional action plan to deal with such ecological disasters. Indonesia named 10 plantation companies—eight of them Malaysian—it wants to hold legally responsible for setting fires to clear land. The practice is illegal, but authorities have rarely enforced the anti-burning laws. Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters that the Malaysian government will not interfere or protest if Indonesia prosecutes the Malaysian companies operating on Sumatra that were identified as having contributed to the problem. “If any Malaysian companies flout laws of the country they operate in, action should be taken. We will not interfere,” he said. The comment put to rest fears of another diplomatic spat between the two countries, who have often exchanged words over territorial rights, illegal Indonesian migrants in Malaysia and other problems. [Source: Jasbant Singh, Associated Press, August 16, 2005]
“Syed Hamid said the pollution issue should not be seen as one country’s problem. He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations already has an agreement on tackling haze, but the pact was ineffective because it lacks specifics. “This agreement must be translated into an action plan and have a mechanism that can be operationalized when such situations occur,” he said. “Agreement is one part, implementation is another.”
Syed Hamid said. “We need to cooperate effectively on issues such as haze,” he said. Syed Hamid also called on ASEAN’s 10 members, who include Malaysia and Indonesia, to standardize their environment laws and have a common standard for air quality. “We must put in place necessary mechanism in order to prevent it from happening again,” he said. He dismissed suggestions that Indonesia was being lackadaisical in dealing with the problem. “Let’s not make insinuations. I think Indonesia is much interested in the well being of the region,” he said.
Liz Gooch wrote in the New York Times, “The 1997 haze cost Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand $4.5 billion, including from health costs and a decline in tourism, Mr. Quah said. In response, ASEAN members developed a Regional Haze Action Plan to monitor and combat the pollution caused by land and forest fires. In 2002, they signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. [Source: Liz Gooch, New York Times, June 23, 2012 \=/]
“Ten years later, Indonesia remains the only country in the bloc not to have ratified the agreement. However, at an ASEAN meeting in May, environment ministers said that Indonesia had begun the process of ratification, according to a statement on the body’s Web site. Mr. Quah said he believed that the Indonesian government was not ready to meet the terms of the agreement. For example, he said, it would have to demonstrate a speedy response from all levels of government when fires broke out, a challenging task in the huge archipelago. \=/
“ASEAN ministers noted that Indonesia had reduced the number of hot spots, areas with the potential for uncontrolled fires, but environmental experts say that better law enforcement is needed. While clearing land by burning is now banned in Indonesia, Mr. Quah said he was not aware of a single case in which a plantation owner had been prosecuted for a fire set on his property. He said the government should also provide incentives for villagers to report fires before they get out of control. “If they report fires early, then they should be rewarded, either with gifts in kind or money so that we can control the small fires quickly,” Mr. Quah said.
Malaysia has provided Indonesia with firefighting equipment and firefighters, while Singapore has supplied satellite-imaging equipment to detect hot spots, he said. \=/
“Kurnia Rauf, director of the forest fire control division in the Indonesian Forestry Ministry, said that tracking down the people responsible for illegal burning was difficult. “They set fires to open the area for planting because it’s much faster and easier,” he said. He added that his division was trying to educate people about hot spot indicators. Local forestry officials were also leading ground checks, he said, and people could report hot spots to the forest fire control task force via cellphone. \=/
“Anthony Tan, executive director of the Center for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia, an independent research organization in Kuala Lumpur, urged a broad view of the problem. He said that while blame was typically directed at Indonesia, fires in other countries also contributed to the haze. “ASEAN as a bloc has to look at this problem as an ASEAN problem,” he said. \=/
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings; 1993; New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Smithsonian magazine; Encyclopedia.com; National Geographic; Live Science; Malaysia Tourism websites; Malaysia government websites; UNESCO; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natural History magazine; Times of London; Library of Congress; The Conversation; The New Yorker; Time; BBC; CNN; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Lonely Planet Guides; Google AI; Wikipedia; The Guardian and various websites; books and other publications.
Last updated May 2026