Visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged on Sunday to help Indonesia fight forest fires blanketing Southeast Asia in haze as foreign aircraft joined operations to douse the blazes.
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Najib began a two-day visit by meeting President Joko Widodo at the state palace in Bogor, West Java, to discuss a range of issues including the palm oil industry, environmental cooperation and the smog.
The regional environmental crisis has caused flights and major events to be cancelled and forced tens of thousands of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to seek treatment for respiratory problems.
“We consider the haze a serious issue as it’s a burden to Malaysians and Indonesians,” Najib said after the meeting.
“Malaysia is prepared to increase our assistance in dousing the fires. The areas affected are widespread so certainly the challenges are very big,” he said.
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The blazes flare annually during the dry season as fires are illegally set to clear land for cultivation on Indonesia's island of Sumatra and in the Indonesian portion of Borneo island.
