SINGAPORE CONVEYS TO INDONESIA ITS CONCERN OVER HAZE

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo
Friday called his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa to express the
republic's concern about the worsening haze situation that is affecting the
city-state.

Yeo informed Marty that the PSI (Pollution Standard Index) in Singapore on
Thursday went over 100, which is an unhealthy level, and cases of respiratory
problems including asthma had increased significantly.

His phone call came after Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr
Yaacob Ibrahim's phone call to his Indonesian counterpart Gusti Hatta Thursday
night, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement.

The ministry said Marty assured Yeo that Indonesia would address the haze
problem and said that many Indonesians in Sumatra were also affected.

However, both ministers agreed that bilateral cooperation had helped reduce the
haze problem in the last three years.

He also reiterated Singapore's immediate readiness to help Indonesia put out
some of the fires in Sumatra.
-- BERNAMA