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View all search resultsASEAN to discuss tackling transboundary haze ahead of November summit
Forest and land fires that have raged for months in Indonesia have in recent weeks caused thick haze in Singapore and in Malaysia, which closed schools in several states last week after air pollution hit unhealthy levels
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A couple rides a motorcycle through thick haze from forest and land fires in Barito Kuala, South Kalimantan, on October 10, 2026. Toxic haze has shrouded parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Kalimantan and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. (AFP/Muda Sagala)
S
outheast Asian foreign ministers will during a meeting next month seek to tackle the transboundary haze blanketing parts of the region, ASEAN chair the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Forest and land fires that have raged for months in Indonesia have in recent weeks caused thick haze in Singapore and in Malaysia, which closed schools in several states last week after air pollution hit unhealthy levels
The wildfires, mainly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, are Indonesia's most intense in 11 years
"It's in the agenda," Philippine foreign ministry spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial said on Tuesday, referring to the preparatory foreign ministers' meetings in November ahead of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Monday said he would raise the haze issue with ASEAN, noting that the bloc's existing mechanisms to deal with natural disasters did not include haze
Malaysia has previously offered assistance to Indonesia to combat fires
Firefighting attempts in many areas were complicated by poor visibility, accessibility issues and a lack of suitable conditions for cloud seeding, Hasan said, citing discussions with his Indonesian counterpart.
Meanwhile, Malaysian low-cost carrier Firefly extended cancellations of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore until Wednesday, the airline said, as haze from fires in neighbouring Indonesia chokes air quality in the region.
Singapore ranked among the world's top two most polluted major cities early Tuesday, according to Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir, as the fires on Kalimantan and Sumatra islands -- intensified by a turbo-charged El Nino weather phenomenon -- belch out toxic haze.
The fires have created suffocating local haze, sparking tens of thousands of respiratory illness cases.
Firefly said the extension of flight suspensions between Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport near Kuala Lumpur and Singapore's Seletar Airport, since Saturday, was a "proactive safety measure," the airline said in a statement late Monday.
"Given the evolving weather situation, Firefly is monitoring developments closely. Further updates on flight schedules will be communicated directly to affected customers," it added.
