For the last few weeks, millions of people in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and even Thailand and southern Vietnam have suffered from trans-boundary haze pollution, facing the increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
"Since 1997, haze pollution has become an annual phenomenon in the region due to forest fires in Indonesia. This year, the high-intensity El Nino has made forest fires in Indonesia more uncontrollable. Therefore, preventing forest fires and improving air quality have become an urgent task for not only Indonesia, but also other countries in the region." - Demetrio L. Ignacio Jr., Undersecretary, Philippine Dept. of Environment & Natural Resources.
"According to experts, in order to put forest fires under control, ASEAN countries need to build up both national and regional legal systems to prevent environmental crimes." - Henri Bastaman, Deputy Minister of Environment.
"First, regional countries have to strictly implement laws on the environment and establish punishments. ASEAN countries also have to co-operate with each other, support each other in investigations and finding materials and evidence." - Nguyen Ba Ngai, Deputy Director, Administration of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development.
ASEAN countries have agreed to map out a co-operation plan for controlling trans-national haze pollution. This plan will include activities to share experiences, raise public awareness and understanding of haze pollution, develop human resources and transfer technology in preventing air pollution.
