Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, September 18, 2026 at 11:27 AM

Indonesia welcomes Malaysia aid to combat Kalimantan fires

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Maria Cicilia Galuh Prayudhia, Yashinta Difa

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Malaysia will deploy an aircraft, three helicopters, and 52 firefighting personnel to assist Indonesia in combating forest and land fires in Kalimantan, President Prabowo Subianto announced on Friday.

The assistance was finalized during a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at Prabowo's residence in Hambalang, West Java.

"Malaysia offered assistance to help us tackle forest fires in Kalimantan. I welcomed this offer with gratitude and pleasure," Prabowo said following the meeting.

The President noted that the Malaysian emergency response deployment would proceed in the near future to support local suppression teams on the ground and from the air.

"This was also done a few years ago, and I am currently formulating comprehensive preventive measures so that this issue does not keep recurring every few years," he added.

Prabowo emphasized that support from neighboring countries highlights that forest fires represent a shared environmental concern across the region.

In addition to Malaysia, Indonesia has received support from Japan alongside assistance offers from several other partner nations.

"This is an environmental issue that affects many parties; although the fires are in Indonesia, the impact is felt by our neighbors. So, they want to help us, and we gratefully accept that," the President remarked.

Beyond fire management, President Prabowo and Deputy Prime Minister Hamidi exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation across other sectors—including the halal industry—while emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong diplomatic ties between the neighboring nations.

"Indonesia and Malaysia are brothers; we must work together and maintain an excellent relationship," Prabowo emphasized.

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