On Sunday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto apologized to Singapore and Malaysia on behalf of his government for the effects of forest fires in Indonesia that may have affected the populations of those countries. He also stated that the authorities would continue taking decisive action against companies involved in causing the fires, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Prabowo added that the Indonesian government is already taking and will continue to take strong measures against companies linked to the forest fires; meanwhile, preparations are underway to establish a new body tasked with strengthening efforts to prevent such fires.
The Indonesian presidential administration said on Sunday that Prabowo made these statements during a meeting held as part of the ASEAN gathering.
Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro said on Sunday that Indonesia had spoken very openly about the measures it had taken to combat the forest fires.
Indonesia evacuated eight orangutans after fires on Borneo11.10.26, 13:28
"The leaders also urged ASEAN member states to prioritize ratification of the agreement establishing the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control," Lazaro said during a press briefing.
Indonesia is currently battling its largest forest fires in 11 years; vast areas have been scorched, mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua.