DistantNews
Support us
Malaysia writes to ASEAN Secretariat on haze issue
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Environment & Climate

Malaysia writes to ASEAN Secretariat on haze issue

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Malaysia has sent a letter to the ASEAN Secretariat regarding the haze affecting Sarawak.
  • The letter, dispatched by the Foreign Minister, seeks collaborative solutions among ASEAN member states to address the issue.
  • The initiative emphasizes shared responsibility for controlling open burning and transboundary haze.

Malaysia has formally addressed the issue of transboundary haze affecting its Sarawak region by sending a letter to the ASEAN Secretariat. The communication, initiated by the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, calls for joint efforts among member states to tackle the persistent problem.

Each ASEAN country needs to play its part to ensure the haze problem can be dealt with effectively.

— Datuk Seri Johari Abdul GhaniMinister of Investment, Trade and Industry, explaining the rationale behind the diplomatic initiative.

The Malaysian government views this as a critical step towards finding a collective solution, stressing that each ASEAN nation must take responsibility for managing open burning and preventing its contribution to the haze. "Each ASEAN country needs to play its part to ensure the haze problem can be dealt with effectively," stated Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry.

The letter has been sent by Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and he wants to see how in ASEAN we can work together to solve this haze issue because every country in ASEAN has to play a role to ensure enforcement of open burning, plantation burning.

— Datuk Seri Johari Abdul GhaniElaborating on the foreign minister's role in addressing the haze within the ASEAN framework.

Minister Hasan plans to discuss the matter with his ASEAN counterparts to explore cooperative strategies. This diplomatic move follows an earlier announcement that Malaysia would send official correspondence regarding open burning in neighboring countries, which exacerbates the haze, particularly in Sarawak. Concurrently, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, is expected to send letters to his counterparts in the affected countries.

It is very important that this issue is discussed by Datuk Mohamad with his counterparts in ASEAN.

— Datuk Seri Johari Abdul GhaniHighlighting the significance of ministerial-level discussions on the haze problem.

In a separate note, Minister Johari also commented on a recent official visit to Brunei with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He described the visit as part of the routine bilateral relations between Malaysia and Brunei, with reciprocal visits occurring annually. This year's visit was Malaysia's turn, with Brunei scheduled to host the following year.

The visit is indeed a routine that we carry out every year. This year we went there, while next year they will come to Malaysia.

— Datuk Seri Johari Abdul GhaniDescribing the regular nature of bilateral visits between Malaysia and Brunei.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog