Malaysia declares state of emergency
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-08-11 20:05

Malaysia declared a state of emergency in towns on its west coast as smoke from forest fires raging in Indonesia smothered parts of the country, pushing pollution levels dangerously high, reported Reuters.

Boats are barely visible in dense haze in Port Klang, near Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia declared a state of emergency in towns on its west coast as smoke from forest fires raging in Indonesia smothered parts of the country, pushing pollution levels dangerously high. [AFP]

The choking smog has blanketed the capital Kuala Lumpur and parts of peninsular Malaysia for more than week, disrupting airports and shipping, angering citizens and raising fears over public health.

"I now declare a state of emergency for the whole area of Kuala Selangor and Port Klang with immediate effect indefinitely," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement.

He said the emergency measures would not involve a curfew in the affected regions, which lie next to the Malacca Strait that separates Malaysia from Indonesia's Sumatra island, where hundreds of fires are raging.

Under the measures, all work places are to remain closed except for essential services, food shops and supermarkets. Schools are to close and citizens are advised to stay at home if possible.

Abdullah acted after the environment department said the air pollution index (API) reached 529 in Port Klang, a major shipping centre, and 531 in Kuala Selangor. An API above 300 is considered hazardous.

In Kuala Lumpur the index reached 321, shrouding the city in a yellowish mist and making the tops of buildings disappear. In the administrative capital of Putrajaya, which lies further towards the coast, the index recorded 364.

The opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) said Malaysians were "furious and worried" about the pollution and that it would mount a protest at the Indonesian embassy on Friday.

"As the source of haze is in Sumatra, Malaysians are powerless to do anything to fight this threat to their and our children's health and safety unless Indonesia is serious about taking action," said DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.

But Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar indicated Malaysia would not take a confrontational approach that could damage their fragile bilateral relationship.

"In the interests of neighbourly relations, we must sit down and discuss and consult. This is the common interest," he said.

"We have no other alternative, we cannot go into an open conflict, that will not be good for the region. That will not be good in terms of our relationship," he said at a press conference.

The official Bernama newsagency said that in crisis talks with Indonesian Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban in Sumatra Thursday, Malaysian Environment Minister Adenan Satem had offered help to put out the fires.

"We are offering assistance on three aspects. Firstly, extinguishing fires in the hot spot areas which had been detected. Secondly, to carry out cloud seeding to induce rain, and thirdly, to assist in drawing up a long-term programme to prevent a recurrence of the incident," Adenan said.

More than 700 schools in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding districts were ordered to close until Monday because of the worsening haze, which is causing a spike in asthma attacks and respiratory conditions.

Kuala Lumpur's second airport at Subang was shut Wednesday as visibility sank to less than 300 metres (yards) and contingency plans have been made in case the country's main airport has to shut.

For the second day in a row, shipping operations at Port Klang were temporarily suspended for about two hours as the operators decided it was too dangerous to work in the murk.

Meteorology department senior forecaster Kamil Ibrahim said the conditions were expected to persist for the next few days, but that there could be a brief respite next week as the winds coming from Sumatra shifted.

However, Indonesian officials warned that the blazes, caused by illegal burning to clear land on Sumatra island and Kalimantan, would worsen in coming weeks.

Malaysians, who experienced an even worse haze crisis in 1997 and 1998, were generally calm amid the crisis but some demanded more action.

"We're just wondering what's happening in terms of government to government arrangements," said 37-year-old businessman David Shan.

"What our government is doing in terms of addressing the problems coming our of Sumatra -- that's a big concern," he said.

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