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Indonesia must act quickly against those responsible for the haze situation, even if Malaysian companies are involved, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam says.

"I urge the Indonesian authorities to take swift action, even against Malaysian companies that are responsible.

NONE "It is not a natural disaster but it is a man-made disaster caused by irresponsible people," Subramaniam told reporters at the Parliament lobb today.

He said there was "no evidence" of Malaysian companies being behind the haze, but Malaysia would support any action taken against any Malaysian company found to be involved.

The Indonesian government should “do whatever that needs to be done” as the companies are operating on Indonesian soil, he said.

Subramaniam said the government was “prepared to face the possibility of increase” in haze levels.

NONE "It is bad in Muar, but also getting worse in coastal areas like Port Dickson and Port Klang. And in Kuantan and Kemaman, it is also worse than before."

He advised the people to reduce outdoor activities and wear protective masks when going out.

"It is more dangerous for pregnant women and those with respiratory illnesseses, such as asthma," he added.

Earlier, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged the Malaysian government to probe and punish companies found to be involved in forest burning in Indonesia.

This follows last Saturday's revelation by Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuayas of eight companies , allegedly linked to Malaysians, that are being probed for the large-scale fires in Riau and Jambi.

Association denies Malaysian involvement

Meanwhile, the Association of Plantation Investors of Malaysia in Indonesia (Apimi) has denied that any Malaysian firm was involved in the worsening haze crisis.

Bernama reported Apimi executive secretary Nor Hazlan Abdul Mutalib as saying 20 percent of plantation land owned by Malaysian companies there have allocated to the local communities.

As such, Nor Hazlan said cases of open burning in palm plantations owned by Malaysian companies were carried out by the small-time farmers in the areas they manage themselves.

"It is commonplace for them (local farmers) to carry out open burning for their farming," he told Bernama .

He added that all the Malaysian companies could do was to report the act to the local authorities, as the companies have no authority to nab those responsible for the fires.

Palanivel stays non-committal

Meanwhile, met by Malaysiakini at the Parliament lobby today, Natural Resources and Environment Minister G Palanivel did not commit to any action against the companies concerned.

Palanivel said this was because despite being blamed for the haze, their operations are under Indonesian jurisdiction.

He also argued that it was not clear as to which companies were involved, and that some named were not Malaysian.

Furthermore, Palanivel said, Malaysia needs to talk to Indonesia and other countries involved - such as Singapore - before taking any action to punish culprits or take any measure to mitigate the haze, such as cloud seeding, as this required collective regional response.

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