Prabowo approves foreign help to tackle fires causing regional haze, says Indonesian foreign minister

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has approved foreign assistance to tackle forest and land fires that have worsened the regional haze crisis, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said on Thursday (Oct 15), according to local media reports.

Arrmanatha said discussions on assistance from neighbouring countries have entered the technical stage, involving Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). He did not specify which countries had offered assistance or what form the assistance would take.

“The president has also given his approval, and discussions are now underway at the technical level. In this case, the technical discussions are being handled by BNPB,” he said at a closed-door meeting, as quoted by local news outlet Kompas. 

The foreign minister said that tackling forest and land fires is a serious concern for Prabowo. 

“What we need to emphasise is that this is a matter of great seriousness and is receiving the President’s direct attention. As we all know, the President has issued very clear instructions and directives,” he added. 

The Indonesian government has deployed approximately 60,000 people to tackle forest and land fires across six provinces, Arrmanatha said.