The government may not bring up the recurring haze problem in local skies with Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri during her official visit to Malaysia next week as it might be 'unpleasant'.

Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment Law Hieng Ding said today he had reservations about raising the haze issue with Megawati (pix) , who is due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 27 for a two-day state visit, her first since she was elected Indonesia's president last month.

"It crossed my mind but I have second thoughts," he told journalists when asked if the haze issue would be discussed with the republic's leader.

"It's unpleasant to raise something negative on her first visit," said the minister who earlier launched a motor sports carnival at the Summit shopping mall in Petaling Jaya.

Megawati last visited Malaysia in January in her then capacity as Indonesia's vice-president.

Indonesia has in the past admitted that unregulated land clearing and scorching in its vast interior had led to 'hot spots' which enveloped the region in haze, an intermittent occurrence since the mid-90s.

Sarawak reported unhealthy air quality levels last week due to haze which also forced the cancellation of several flights within the state. Experts have blamed uncontrolled land clearing in Indonesia's neighbouring Kalimantan as the cause.

Law however, said a final decision has not been made and he is still mulling over whether he should ask Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to include the issue in his agenda when both the premiers meet.

Haze study completed

The minister said haze occurred worldwide and the Malaysian government had tried its best to control the situation in the country from worsening.

Since 1997, the government had embarked on a campaign to counter the problem by educating the public and imposing stiff penalties to those found guilty of open-burning, he added.

Law said the government is also trying to reform traditional farming methods such as shifting cultivation practices in which forest land is burned and cleared for agricultural purposes.

Towards this aim, he said the government has been broadcasting information to the interior parts of Sabah and Sarawak for more than a year to educate indigenous communities there to practice settled farming.

However, on rampant land clearing in Indonesia which also contributed to the haze problem in Malaysia, Law said, "We can only speak for ourselves. It's difficult to speak for other countries."

The minister also said he has received the results of a study on the haze situation by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The two-year study was requested by the Malaysian government after the 1997 haze crisis with a grant of A$200,000 from the Australian government.

He said he would present the study's findings to the Cabinet first before revealing its recommendations to the public.