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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Indonesian Burning Intensifies

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

10/17/97

OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE

Here are four updates from various sources of the Indonesian forest

catastrophe. Far from being over, indications are that after a brief

lull, the fires have intensified. It is interesting to note the

range of estimates of areas burned, from 400,000 to over 1 million

hectares. This is a major ecological disaster, which unfortunately

may be an indicator of what is to come if the World does not get its

forest conservation house in order. The Gaia Forest Conservation

Archives Indonesian directory has been updated with several dozen

additional articles besides the ones I have sent out previously.

Check out: http://forests.org/forests/indonesia.html

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

ITEM #1

Title: Suharto Fiddles While Indonesia Burns

Source: Greenleft Weekly

Status: Distribute freely with accreditation

Date: October 15, 1997

Byline: By James Balowski

On September 16, President Suharto publicly apologised to Indonesia's

neighbours for the fires which have blanketed large parts of Malaysia,

Singapore and the Philippines in choking smog. But those who hoped

that this was a signal that Jakarta intends to address the problem

seriously would be well advised, quite literally, to hold their

breath. As the October 2 issue of the Far Eastern Economic Review

aptly put it, ``The strong winds of market demand and the smouldering

coals of collusion are likely to keep the fires raging for many dry

seasons to come''.

Although the fires started as far back as July, the Indonesian

government has done little more than resign itself to watching them

burn. Sufficient rain to douse the fires is not likely to begin until

late October or November.

Satellite images show that almost 1 million hectares have been

affected. Friends of the Earth International say that 220-290 million

tonnes of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere -

equal to half of Britain's annual emissions.

The long-term ecological implications could be devastating. The

director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Claude Martin,

quoted in the Guardian on September 27, described the situation was a

``planetary disaster''.

Scientists have warned that the effect on long-term global warming and

immediate weather patterns throughout the world could be immense.

Also threatened are an additional 1 million hectares of peat forests,

which may burn for decades. Environmentalists calculate that if only

the top 10 centimetres were to burn, it would release an additional 20

million tonnes of CO2 into the air.

Peat fires can burn deep underground for years and are almost

impossible to control on a large scale. Firefighters have to dig

around a site to locate the smoldering peat layers, then use sand to

put them out. Every blackened log and stone must be turned over to

make sure that embers are not hidden underneath.

Peat fires can also break out weeks after the initial surface fire has

been put out. Although satellite photographs can locate hot spots

indicating surface fires, they cannot pinpoint peat fires smoldering

underground.

Ecological disaster

The lowland tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Kalimantan are among

the most biologically rich ecosystems on earth, and whole species may

be lost.

Smoke cuts down the light, reducing photosynthesis, which drives plant

growth and powers the entire ecological system. When the rains do

finally arrive, increased sediment loads due to reduced plant cover

will be carried far out to sea, settling on coral and blocking out

vital light. As the dead coral crumbles, island are simply washed

away.

Smoke is also affecting bees in northern Malaysia, although the smog

there is relatively light. They are feeding less, which means they

pollinate fewer trees and plants - and that means less food for fruit-

eaters and herbivores.

As insect numbers decline, so do the birds and reptiles which feed on

them, affecting the entire food chain. Amphibians, which will suffer a

dry season made worse by drought, will be especially vulnerable.

Larger animals are also at risk. Primates, such as the orangutan, are

especially vulnerable because, unlike four-footed animals, they are

slower and need trees to move through forest to escape the fires.

The potent mix of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ash - added to

by industrial pollution and car exhaust - has produced a choking haze

which, in some places, has reduced visibility to just a few metres.

Airports throughout the region have been forced to cancel flights, and

the effects on air and sea transportation have led to shortages of

many goods.

Authorities in Jakarta say that 20 million Indonesians are suffering

eye, skin and respiratory problems, mainly in southern Sumatra and

Kalimantan. At least 70 million people in six south-east Asian

countries have also been affected.

In parts of Indonesia the air pollution index (API) is six times the

normal level, and particulate matter more than double the level deemed

safe by authorities.

API levels in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, have reached world

record levels, passing 800. The safe limit is considered to be 100;

being exposed to API levels of 200 to 300 has roughly the same effect

as smoking 20 cigarettes a day.

In the forests of Kalimantan, the extent of the suffering remains

unclear. Many indigenous communities face food and water shortages

and poisonous smoke.

Broader impacts

Economic analysts are already warning that air pollution could add to

the economic woes of the region; many south-east Asian economies are

still reeling from dramatic currency devaluations.

Liew Yin Sze, of research at the Singapore investment house J.M.

Sassoon, told the Guardian on September 27 that industries from

tourism to electronics to palm oil production could be affected.

In Malaysia's Johore state, the agriculture department is warning that

reduced sunlight will affect crops. Fishing boats in Sarawak have been

advised not to put out to sea, and Thais are complaining that poor

visibility is hampering fishing in the Andaman Sea.

On September 26, Indonesia's agriculture minister, Syarifuddin

Baharsyah, said that 173 rubber and palm oil plantation areas were on

fire. Prices are already rising.

The haze is also hampering the ripening of fruits; traders and

commodity associations said that it was already affecting coffee and

cocoa production and disrupting transportation.

The tourist industry is taking a beating, resorts throughout the

region reporting reduced occupancy levels. Resorts as far north as the

Thai island of Phuket, 1400 kilometres from the nearest fires, are

enveloped by grimy smog.

Smoke from fires which have broken out on the island of Lombok is

expected to affect nearby Bali, which draws almost a third of

Indonesia's tourists.

Perhaps the only ones to find a silver lining in the disaster are

manufactures and distributors of household air purifiers and surgical

masks. In Indonesia, the price of masks has soared from 500 rupiah

(16 cents) to 4000 rupiah.

Logging

Since 1982, forest fires on a large scale in Kalimantan, Sumatra and

Java have come with the onset of each dry season. A fire in Kalimantan

in 1983, reportedly the largest in human history, destroyed 3.7

million hectares of rainforest, an area the size of the Netherlands.

In 1987, 2 million hectares, 1.4 million of primary rainforest, were

destroyed in Kalimantan, Sumatra, East Timor, Sulawesi and mountain

regions of Java.

In 1991 smoke and ash from fires blanketed Singapore, Malaysia and the

Straits of Malacca, forcing Indonesia to call for international help.

Forest fires of this magnitude coincide with a rapid increase in

logging and plantation activities which began in the early 1980s. In

1966, 82% of Indonesia's land mass was covered by primary forest. By

1982 this had shrunk to 68%, and recent satellite photographs indicate

that forest cover - including timber plantations - is now down to

about 55%.

In late 1996, the Indonesian minister of forests said that 20 million

hectares of forest were in a critical state and warned that this was

increasing rapidly. The World Bank estimates 800,000 hectares of

forest are lost each year.

Around 64 million hectares - one-third of Indonesia's land mass - is

devoted to commercial logging. In 1996 Indonesia became the world's

largest plywood exporter.

Jakarta has been actively promoting timber estates in combination with

transmigration programs to relocate people from densely populated Java

and Bali to the outer islands. Clearing land for plantations also

provides cheap labour from indigenous people deprived of their

livelihood.

Around 35 companies are developing plantations in conjunction with

transmigration. This year, about 300,000 hectares of virgin rainforest

were approved for ``conversion'' to palm oil plantations.

Palm oil plantations are a major factor in the depletion of forests.

Actively promoted by government, annual exports of palm oil and

related products have now reach $US1 billion.

Crude palm oil production is projected to rise to 5.3 million tonnes

in 1997, compared with 4.5 million tonnes last year. The government is

planning to increase this to 7.2 million tonnes by 2000, more than

doubling plantation area to 5.5 million hectares.

Although a ban on burning forest to clear land for plantations has

been in place since 1995, burning is the cheapest and quickest way.

Most of the land allocated for plantations is classified as

``conversion forest'', which has already been logged by timber

companies. Any remaining trees are cut down and sold by the

plantations before the brush and debris are burned.

A.F.S. Budiman, executive director of the Rubber Association of

Indonesia, admitted to the October 2 Far Eastern Economic Review, ``If

you do land-clearing in pioneer areas, where no roads are established,

the only practical way to get rid of the debris is to burn it''.

When asked what happens when a local official tries to enforce the

law, Budiman replied, ``You just bribe him''.

Crony companies

As criticism has mounted, Indonesian officials have attempted to shift

the blame to El Nino, a climatic phenomenon which sucks moisture from

the western side of the Pacific Ocean, disrupting normal weather

patterns and inducing prolonged dry spells.

On September 28, the official Antara news agency and Suara Pembaruan

quoted coordinating minister for people's welfare Azwar Anas as

saying, ``The freak weather phenomenon is partly to blame ... It's a

natural disaster which no-one could have prevented.''

But as far back as August, even the usually ``subdued'' Indonesian

media were beginning to express what most people already knew - that

the major obstacle to dealing with the fires is the close political

and business links between the timber and plantation companies and

President Suharto.

An Indonesian ministerial report released in mid-September blamed 176

logging and plantation firms located in eight provinces for the fires.

Although the report listed the names of the companies, it failed to

mention the principal shareholders or owners.

Many are owned by some of Indonesia's wealthiest and most prominent

business figures. Among those listed were companies owned by Liem Sioe

Liong, Eka Tjipta Wijaya, timber tycoon Mohammad ``Bob'' Hasan,

Prayogo Pangestu of the Barito Pacific Group and even companies owned

by an army foundation. Included were Sinar Mas, which Hasan jointly

owns with Malaysian conglomerates, and Hasan's PT Kiani Lestari,

operating in South Kalimantan. Others were Pangestu's PT Musi Hutan

Persada, in South Sumatra, Wijaya's PT Indah Kiat in Riau and several

companies under the Salim Group, controlled by Liem Sioe Liong -

reputedly the wealthiest man in Indonesia.

Liem's association with Suharto goes as far back as the 1950s, when he

was a lieutenant colonel in command of the Central Java Division; he

was dismissed from this post in 1956 for involvement in smuggling.

Hasan, also a long-term associate, plays golf with Suharto two or

three times a week. Hasan first got involved in the forestry industry

in 1972 with assistance from military contacts, going on to build the

Kalimanis timber empire.

In the 1980s, he founded the Indonesian Plywood Association, which

controls plywood exports. He is also of the Indonesian Timber Society

and the Indonesian Furniture Association.

In the past Hasan has countered criticisms of Indonesia's forestry

management by launching overseas ``seminars'' and advertisements. He

has accused environmental groups campaigning against destructive

logging practices and violation of indigenous rights of being

``stooges'' of foreign timber interests.

Hasan has become Suharto's most trusted business adviser and runs the

day-to-day affairs of a number business groups owned by private

foundations controlled by Suharto.

Prayogo has ties to Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti

Rukmana, better known as Tutut; they have common interests in a number

of companies.

Malaysian link

Despite being the worst affected of Indonesia's neighbours, Malaysia

has failed to put any real pressure on Jakarta. The reason is not hard

to find. A report from industry sources says that the Indonesian

government is investigating 18 Malaysian and five Singaporean joint

ventures for lighting fires in Sumatra.

An article by exiled Indonesian academic George J. Aditjondro in the

October 1 Sydney Morning Herald paints a familiar picture of nepotism

and political links between Malaysian timber and plantation firms, the

Malaysian government and Indonesian conglomerates.

Malaysian business tycoon Robert Kuok is a shareholder in a South

Sumatra oil palm plantation owned by Hashim Djojohadikusumo and his

sister-in-law, Titiek Prabowo, Suharto's second daughter and wife of

General Prabowo Subianto, of the elite Kopassus military command.

Indonesian companies such as Raja Garuda Mas and Sinar Mas are

involved in joint ventures in Sarawak with well-connected Malaysian

conglomerates.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad's son Mirzan and Suharto's

son Bambang Trihatmodjo are partners in the Malaysian Berjaya group,

which has been severely criticised by US environmental groups for its

widespread destruction of forests.

Too little too late

On September 9, Suharto reissued a 1995 ban on burning forest and

called on the military to help enforce it. Companies were given until

October 3 to prove they were not the culprits.

Laws allow up to 10 years' imprisonment and a 100 million rupiah fine

for polluters. Not one company, however, has ever been convicted. Even

the environment minister, Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, admitted to Reuters

on September 22 that environmental laws are not policed properly.

Soon after Suharto's announcement, the number of fires increased, as

companies rushed to clear as much land as possible before the

deadline. Even if the deadline was strictly adhered to, it would only

let companies finish clearing land at a time the normal rainy season

would have forced them to do so.

On September 26 the English-language daily Jakarta Post revealed that

14 of the firms named in the ministerial report were still clearing

land in defiance of the official ban. The names of the firms were not

specified.

On September 25, 1210 firefighters were sent to Sumatra from Malaysia.

But a report in the September 29 Straits Times, which followed a team

of Malaysian firefighters, indicated growing frustration over

Indonesia's lack of coordination.

One firefighter, who did not want to be named, told the Times, ``We

came here to help. But instead we have been sitting around most of the

time waiting.''

On October 3, the Indonesian forestry minister, Djamaludin

Suryohadikusumo, revoked the licences of nine companies for failing to

meet the deadline to prove that they were not responsible for lighting

fires. They included Hasan's PT Kiani Lestari, as well as companies

owned by Pangestu, Widjaya and Liem.

Along with Kusumaatmadja, since being appointed to the cabinet in

1993, Djamaludin has been one of a small number of officials who have

dared to take a stand. Many initiatives, however, have proved futile.

In October last year, Djamaludin refused to renew 60 forestry

licences, citing poor land management. But in April it was revealed

that the companies had continued operations as if nothing had

happened.

Such actions have earned Djamaludin powerfully enemies. Only a day

after he threatened to cancel Kiani Lestari's licence, a call was

raised in parliament for his resignation.

`Shamefully inadequate'

On September 27, the government announced emergency relief of a mere

3.1 billion rupiah, less than US$800,000. A press statement by Friends

of the Earth International chair Kevin Dunion said the amount is

``shamefully inadequate given the magnitude of the tragedy. The

government spends more than a hundred times this sum to keep powerful

pulp, paper and peat barons in business.''

The Indonesian environment NGO Walhi is currently taking Suharto to

court for approving a loan of over US$100 million from state

reforestation funds - almost half of last year's reforestation revenue

- to help build Hasan's PT Kiani Kertas paper and pulp plant in East

Kalimantan.

Walhi filed a similar but unsuccessful suit against Suharto in 1994,

when a US$190 million loan from reforestation funds was made, interest

free, to the Nusantara Aircraft Industry, d by another long-term

Suharto crony, technology and research minister B.J. Habibie. The

state earns around US$3 billion from timber exports each year.

On October 2, Australian experts were dispatched to Indonesia to take

part in a UN disaster relief team, using a A$2 million relief package

announced by foreign minister Alexander Downer. This compares to the

A$1.4 billion the Australian government put up to prop up the Thai

baht.

A preventable disaster

Although El Nino is certainly contributing to the late rains, rainfall

itself is reduced by the loss of forest cover. Forest cover also

absorbs rain and acts as a water catchment. Clearing causes rivers to

run fast and early, leading to erosion and quick drying up.

Rainforests are one of the wettest places on earth. Even in a drought,

there is little to feed a fire. Because of the lack of undergrowth,

when fires do break out, they move quickly through the forest,

scarring trees but killing very few.

Scientist have also speculated that El Nino is getting worse because

deforestation and the subsequent erosion are affecting air currents

over surface water in coastal areas of Asia.

But it is not just the greed of Suharto and the logging and plantation

firms which has created this disaster.

Government investment and ``development'' policies which have promoted

destructive land clearing practices are spurred on by market forces

and capitalism's endless drive for profit. Many of the projects were

championed by and funded by institutions such as the World Bank and

the IMF, which pressure countries such as Indonesia to increase

exports.

[James Balowski worked with environment organisations in Indonesia

between 1993 and 1995.]

-30-

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ITEM #2

Title: Warning of unrest as poor pay for IMF bailout

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Status: Copyrighted, seek permission from source for repreinting

Date: October 15, 1997

Byline: By LOUISE WILLIAMS, Herald Correspondent in Jakarta

Rising prices, cutbacks in health services and lay-offs resulting from

economic reforms to be pushed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

will hit Indonesia's poor and could fuel social unrest, a group of

non-government organisations said yesterday. The WAHLI coalition of

environmental and grassroots organisations said measures sought by the

IMF in exchange for a program to rescue Indonesia's corporate sector

from the currency crisis were expected to be severe. "Fuel subsidies

will be stopped, government expenditure reduced - we are afraid the

spending on hospitals, local clinics and schools will be cut back,"

WAHLI's executive director, Ms Emmy Hafild, said.

The expected increase in fuel prices would affect transport costs and

push up the price of all basic commodities, she said. The downturn in

the labour-intensive construction industry would force lay-offs and

further labour unrest should be expected. "Those who will sacrifice

the most will be the poorest. But the business groups with vested

interests will continue to receive special rights to exploit the

nation's national resources," Ms Hafild said of Indonesia's dominant

corporate sector, with its powerful political connections.

WAHLI said it feared increasing violence in Indonesian society as the

stresses of vast forest fires and the severe drought, combined with

spending cutbacks, began to affect ordinary people, already suffering

under unemployment rates of 38 per cent. "What we are worried about is

that the usual climax of fires and long periods of drought is famine

and crop failures. There could be a long period of unrest."

The IMF, the World Bank and officials of the Soeharto Government

continued closed- door meetings in Jakarta yesterday. The rupiah,

pushed to an all-time low last week ahead of the call for IMF

assistance, held on to modest gains, but remained well below its

previous value.

WAHLI said its own investigation into the forest fires which continue

to burn across parts of Indonesia showed that more than 1.1 million

hectares of forest have been lost, compared with the 400,000 hectares

conceded by the Government.

Environment Ministry officials warned on Monday that the haze and fire

problem was not over, after the number of fires sharply increased as a

very hot, dry and windy weather pattern settled across Indonesia.

WAHLI said the Government had instructed local newspaper editors to

stop blaming big timber and plantation companies and to instead blame

the El Nino pattern.

Ms Hafild said the group was not confident that threats against big

companies which started the fires as a means of cheap and quick land

clearing would be prosecuted, nor that any fundamental changes would

be made to prevent a repeat of this year's environmental disaster.

She said about 97 per cent of Indonesia's wood product exports were

produced using virgin rainforest and that renewable timber plantations

had not yet matured.

"The haze and forest fire problem runs parallel to the financial

crisis. The fundamentals of both are the distortion of the economy,

monopolies and vested interests in the economy which have not been

addressed."

**********

ITEM #3

Title: Indonesian forest fires said spreading - officials

Source: Reuters

Status: Copyright 1997, seek permission from source for reprinting

Date: October 13, 1997

JAKARTA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Forest fires raging in Indonesia, which

have been blamed for a health-threatening smog covering much of

Southeast Asia, are spreading in some areas, government officials said

on Monday.

An official at the government's disaster coordinating bureau said he

had reports of worsening fires on Sumatra island, while fresh hotspots

had appeared in remote eastern areas.

``We've learned that forest fires worsened in Lampung on Sumatra

island. We also receive reports of fresh hotspots appearing in south

Sulawesi and Irian Jaya,'' the official said.

The reports came as officials at the bureau briefed on Monday a U.S.

team on the extent of the crisis. Three U.S. C-130 military transport

planes are expected to be deployed to help Indonesia's fire-fighting

efforts.

``Two U.S. military officials were here this morning and we gave them

the information needed on the extent of the forest fires,'' another

official at the bureau said.

The United States is the latest country to try and help Indonesia

fight the fires, which have burned hundreds of thousands of hectares

of scrub, bush and forest, and set ablaze huge amounts of peat.

Fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of the vast

Borneo Island, have produced a choking smog triggering health alarms

across the region.

Neil Byron, of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

at Bandung, told Reuters the biggest problems remained extensive fires

in above-ground growth in the Jambi and Riau areas of Sumatra and peat

fires in central Kalimantan.

Fire-fighters, including more than 1,000 Malaysians who have joined

Indonesian troops, forestry workers and volunteers, have had some

success against smaller and more localised fires, experts said.

``But the bigger fires are much more difficult,'' one said.

The fires have been blamed on forestry and plantation companies and

small farmers clearing land for development, aggravated by severe

drought caused in part by the El Nino weather phenomenon in the

Pacific Ocean altering global weather patterns.

``It's still difficult to get the necessary up-to-date information on

the extent of the fires,'' CIFOR's Byron said.

Scattered rain has fallen in some parts of the archipelago, but

experts say the full monsoon downpour is needed to help extinguish the

fires, especially in the deep-lying peat.

Two of the U.S. C-130s will carry aerial fire-fighting equipment

capable of holding 3,000 gallons (11,300 litres) of water that can be

released from the air. It was not immediately known where they would

operate.

State Department spokesman James Rubin has said the aid programme

would support efforts by Indonesia and Malaysia in five areas --

humanitarian relief, fighting the fires, monitoring air quality,

analysing the health effects of the haze and weather forecasting.

Malaysia said on Monday it would soon send a new batch of 1,200

firemen to Indonesia to replace the contingent sent last month.

Two Australian water-bombers have been in action since last week. A

number of other nations have also offered assistance and equipment.

**********

ITEM #4

Title: Forest fires rekindled in Indonesia

Source: Agence France-Presse

Status: Copyright 1997, seek permission from source for reprinting

Date: October 13, 1997

JAKARTA, Oct 13 (AFP) - Hopes that fires raging across Indonesia were

under control were dashed Monday amid reports that a dramatic

increase in the number of new forest blazes had been detected at the

weekend.

There are also government fears more fires could be raging which

satellite images had been unable to pick up because of a thick haze,

still shrouding some areas.

As airports across the archipelago were shut down again because of the

haze, satellite photos showed the numbers of fire spots detected in

Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java rose from 16 to 40 on Friday, the Jakarta

Post said, quoting the Environmental Impact and Management Agency.

In Singapore, authorities issued a health advisory Monday as the smoky

haze returned to the island despite heavy rains over the weekend.

"The elderly and persons with heart and respiratory diseases should

reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities," said the advisory

issued by the ministry of the environment.

Rains last week initially appeared to have helped quell the fires

which have according to some estimates destroyed up to 800,000

hectares of forests (1.9 million acres).

They aided the efforts of about 1,000 Malaysian firefighters

dispatched to Indonesia in a bid to dampen the fires and end the

haze which brought weeks of misery to its neighbours. In parts of

Sarawak, the Malaysian part of Borneo, pollution levels rose to

dangerous on several occasions.

The Malaysians have been deployed in the three provinces since

September 24 to help local efforts in combatting the fires that have

sent a thick smoke haze over most of Southeast Asia.

Some of the areas hit have been tropical rainforests which sustain one

of the most unique ecosystems on the planet.

A local environment official said it could take a quarter of century

for central Borneo to recover.

"It (Central Kalimantan province) needs 25 years to recover the

damaged environment, after this year's forest fires," said Britasi

Saloh quoted Monday by the state Antara news agency.

Speaking over the weekend in the provincial capital of Palangkaraya,

he said the fires have caused "immeasurable" environmental damage to

the ecosystem.

Antara said Monday that 33 fires had been detected in five provinces

on Sumatra island with southern Sumatra accounting for 22 hot spots.

West and central Kalimantan had one fire spot each while on Java,

three fires were detected in west Java and another two in the east.

"However, it is possible that the satellites cannot trace all

existing hot spots as thick haze still blankets Sumatra and

Kalimantan," the agency said.

Visibility worsened in several parts of Indonesia on the weekend as

the haze thickened, the daily said.

Hardest hit, with visibility reduced to below one kilometre (just over

half a mile), were the areas in the Sumatran provinces of Aceh, Riau,

Jambi and Bengkulu and in west and central Kalimantan, on the

Indonesian part of Borneo.

The reappearance of the thick haze, which had began to ease in several

regions since earlier this month, has forced the temporary closure of

airports in Jambi, Pontianak in west Kalimantan and in Palangkaraya,

central Kalimantan on Sunday, the Jakarta Post said.

"The visibility in Kalimantan and Sumatra will drop and the haze will

spread to an even wider area," the agency said, adding "it is

predicted that there will be more airports closed."

The agency said winds could spread the haze towards the southern and

western parts of Kalimantan, the Malaysian state of Sarawak and the

Malaysian peninsula.

Six Indonesians have died from haze-related ailments since August and

some 40,000 others had had their health affected.

Indonesia's environmental agency is meanwhile gathering evidence to

take legal action against 29 firms which the government blamed for

illegal slash and burn techniques to clear large swathes of

land.

The government has revoked the timber-use permits of the 29 firms,

after they failed to prove their innocence.

Meanwhile, huge bush fires burning in Western Australia were unlikely

to affect the atmosphere over Southeast Asia, experts said.

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

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