Indonesia accepts foreign aid to combat forest fires fueling regional haze

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has cleared the way for international assistance to help put out widespread forest and brush fires that are spreading thick haze across the region, according to Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir.

Speaking during a closed meeting on Thursday, Arrmanatha said talks regarding support from nearby nations have moved to technical planning. The country's National Disaster Management Agency, known as BNPB, is handling those discussions. Arrmanatha declined to name the specific nations offering support or describe the exact nature of the aid, but he emphasized that combating the blazes is receiving immediate oversight from the president, who has delivered direct instructions on the matter.

Indonesia has already mobilized roughly 60,000 personnel to extinguish fires burning across six provinces. BNPB leads the coordination of these operations. The agency's newly installed chief, Kristomei Sianturi, stated following his swearing-in on Thursday that his primary goal is to bring the blazes under control as swiftly as possible. Sianturi indicated that he will evaluate existing domestic resources to determine how incoming foreign assistance can best be deployed.

The move to welcome external aid comes amid rising diplomatic friction and concern across Southeast Asia over cross-border air pollution. In neighboring Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim remarked on Thursday that his administration has made every effort to communicate with Jakarta on the worsening air quality, pushing back against domestic critics who argued the government had been slow to respond.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan made clear on Thursday that Kuala Lumpur would not issue a formal diplomatic protest or initiate legal proceedings against Indonesia, explaining that preserving ties between the two neighbors takes precedence. His comments addressed demands from opposition lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who urged the Malaysian parliament to lodge an official complaint over the agricultural burning generating the smoke.

Singapore has also expressed willingness to assist. Singaporean Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu recently reaffirmed that her country stands prepared to provide firefighting support to Indonesia whenever required.