Malaysia Keeps Close Coordination with Indonesia on Haze Response

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s efforts to address forest and land fires are being supported by closer coordination with Malaysia, including approval for cloud-seeding operations along their shared border to help reduce haze impacts.

“We have our environment minister who has sent a letter to the Indonesian environment minister and has also communicated verbally and so on,” Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta Farzamie Sarkawi said in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, September 15, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He said Indonesia had approved Malaysia's request to conduct weather modification operations through cloud seeding in border areas between the two countries. “The effort has already begun there,” he added.

Farzamie expressed hope that the joint efforts along the border would help extinguish forest and land fires in Kalimantan and ease the haze affecting parts of Malaysia. “We certainly hope the situation will recover soon. We are also ready to help whenever requested,” he said.

Regarding joint efforts at the ASEAN level, he confirmed that Malaysia is also coordinating with Singapore, in addition to Indonesia, to use existing ASEAN mechanisms to address forest and land fires. However, he noted that joint ASEAN action can only be carried out if consensus is reached among all member states.

The haze from forest and land fires in Indonesia has reportedly reached Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia, as well as Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, including the capital Manila.

On September 5, the Malaysian government even declared a haze emergency across Serian in Sarawak, which borders Indonesia, although the emergency was lifted shortly afterward.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Indonesia continues to coordinate with neighboring countries and use existing ASEAN mechanisms to address the impact of forest and land fires in Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN framework being utilized in this effort is the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which was signed in 2002. ***