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View all search resultsRI apologizes to ASEAN for haze
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) welcomes Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto (left) on Sunday during the 49th ASEAN summit retreat sessions in Manila. (AFP/Pool/Aaron Favila)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto on Sunday apologized for the haze crisis that has clouded parts of Southeast Asia, as ASEAN leaders met in the Philippines for talks to strengthen cross border enforcement against polluters.
The 49th ASEAN Summit kicked off with world leaders gathering in Manila to discuss trade, security and an ongoing energy crisis with the bloc, which forms the world’s fifth largest economy.
Among the most anticipated issues were the wildfires in Indonesia that have sent dense plumes of smoke across national borders and caused tensions between Jakarta and its neighbors.
Speaking at the summit’s plenary session on Sunday, Prabowo said his administration would hold companies responsible for causing the fires.
“We’ve revoked 17 concessions [permits] from companies. [Meanwhile] 26 companies are currently under investigation and 11 others have been charged. Another 23 companies are on the list to be charged,” he said, as quoted from a press release from the Presidential Secretariat. “In total, 104 companies are currently under investigation by our police.”
“We have [also] deployed 71,000 forest firefighters. We lost 16 people who died and many more who were injured while battling the blazes. We also lost two helicopters,” Prabowo said, adding that Indonesia is preparing for the establishment of a new agency and programs to prevent forest fires.
Prabowo’s remarks came as the problem of transboundary haze has started to disappear.
