Indonesia president conveys apology to Singapore, Malaysia over wildfire haze

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A person walks near the breakwater at Marina East with vessels in the distance shrouded in haze as smoke from regional forest fires reduces visibility across the island city-state in Singapore, October 17, 2026. REUTERS/ Kokkai Ng

MANILA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto apologized on Sunday to Singapore and Malaysia on behalf of his government for any impact that forest fires in Indonesia may have had on their people, and said authorities would continue to take firm action against companies linked to the blazes.

Prabowo added that Indonesian government has and will continue take firm actions on companies involved in forest fire cases while also preparing to establish a new body to strengthen forest-fire prevention.

The statements was conveyed by Prabowo during a session in ASEAN meeting, according to a statement from Indonesia's presidential palace on Sunday.

The Philippines' Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Sunday that Indonesia was very candid in expressing what it had done to address forest fires.

"The leaders also encouraged the ASEAN member states to prioritize the ratification of the ASEAN Coordinating Center on Transboundary Haze Pollution Control," Lazaro told a news briefing.

Participants jog during an indoor running event at a shopping mall, organized in response to haze from forest fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region that blanketed the region, at Petaling Jaya, Malaysia October 28, 2026. REUTERS/ Hasnoor Hussain

Indonesia has been battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with large swathes of land scorched, mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. — Reuters