JAKARTA - Indonesia's president says his government has asked several countries for assistance fighting massive forest fires that have cast a haze over much of the region.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, said the situation requires Jakarta to reach out for help.

“Hopefully we can accelerate the handling of this peat swamp forest fire, which is different from the way you fight the ordinary forest fire.  It’s totally different," said President Widodo.

Indonesia says Singapore and Malaysia will send fire fighting aircraft on Friday, while China, Japan and Australia have not confirmed when their help will arrive. Officials in Jakarta say Russia is still waiting for a price-quotation from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the head of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, Abet Nego Tarigan, has called on President Jokowi to improve communication with other countries who had been impacted by the haze.

“Indonesia should explain the real situation, what happened and how did they are handling it. We think it’s more about the communication of political issues with the international world," said Tarigan.


Minister of Environmental and Forestry Affairs Siti Nurbaya Tuesday repeated the government's pledge to tackle the problem. She said 30 corporate permits will be revoked and more than 420 corporations are being investigated.



This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Indonesian service.


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