Haze: Government Denies Malaysian Plantation Companies Involved in Forest Burning in Indonesia

ALOR GAJAH: The government today denied allegations by an Indonesian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that Malaysian plantation companies were involved in forest burning activities in the country.

Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad said monitoring conducted by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) found that the fires did not originate on plantations owned by Malaysian companies but had instead spread from other areas.

She said that apart from MPOB monitoring, the plantation companies concerned were also subject to the standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification.

“Based on the reports we received through MPOB, so far, the fires did not start on those plantations. They originated elsewhere, but due to the extremely hot weather, the fires spread. However, they were quickly extinguished,” she said.

She was speaking to reporters at the closing ceremony of the JELITA Open Day – 12 Hours Sprint Training, officiated by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the Chancellor Hall, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Durian Tunggal, here today.

Also present were Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari and UTeM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Massila Kamalrudin.

Yesterday, Indonesian environmental NGO Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) alleged that 21 companies linked to and affiliated with Malaysian business groups were involved in forest and land fire incidents in Indonesia between January and September this year.

The findings were part of a mapping analysis report titled Who Are Behind the Fires?, released by WALHI’s National Executive.

According to the report, satellite data recorded at least 30,927 hotspots across Indonesia during the first nine months of this year, with nearly 50 per cent located within concession areas operated by oil palm plantation and forestry companies.

Among the provinces recording the highest concentrations of hotspots were West Kalimantan, with 9,529, and Central Kalimantan, with 7,141, resulting in Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) readings in the affected areas reaching unhealthy to hazardous levels.

BERNAMA