TEMPO.CO, Kuala Lumpur – The Malaysian government welcomes Indonesia's decision to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP). Malaysia's Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, said the move shows Indonesia's seriousness in overcoming the effects of haze caused by forest fires.

"This will further strengthen our bilateral relations. Malaysia and Singapore are two countries most affected by the haze from Indonesia," Palanivel told Malaysian news agency Bernama yesterday.

Indonesian lawmakers voted to ratify the regional agreement on air pollution on Tuesday, as haze from land-clearing fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan polluted Malaysia and Singapore. Indonesia became the latest country to sign the ratification, which took force in 2013.

"The ratification of the ASEAN Agreement is an appropriate step for Indonesia to show that we are serious in tackling transboundary haze pollution resulting from land and forest fires," Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said on Tuesday.

In June 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN member countries signed a pact to overcome the impact of transboundary haze pollution. In June 2013, nine ASEAN countries ratified the agreement.

Singapore's Ministry of Environment and Water Resources also praised Indonesia's ratification. "The ratification is done in an appropriate time; amid the emergence of more hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan," Minister Vivian Balak Rishnan said as reported by Channel News Asia.

BERNAMA | CHANNEL NEWS ASIA