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Protesters in Kalimantan decry Indonesian inaction against forest fires, haze

PANGKALAN RAYA (Indonesia) — Around 150 protesters, including students and activists from non-governmental organisations, held a protest at the Central Kalimantan Governor’s office today (Sept 22), decrying government inaction against the ongoing forest fires, which has led to a thick haze that blankets parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

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PANGKALAN RAYA (Indonesia) — Around 150 protesters, including students and activists from non-governmental organisations, held a protest at the Central Kalimantan Governor’s office today (Sept 22), decrying government inaction against the ongoing forest fires, which has led to a thick haze that blankets parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

"The government is not taking serious measures to solve the fires,” said Mr Ali Wardana, one of the protest leaders. “Central Kalimantan is in a state of emergency, and people are suffering from respiratory illnesses.”

He added: “We want disaster management teams to be prepared in advance in order to safeguard people’s health. And we want sanctions against those who burn the land for profit.”

South-east Asia has for years suffered from annual bouts of haze caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia's islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The protests outside the Governor’s office included students and activists from around 10 organisations including Save Our Borneo and Walhi, an Indonesian environmental advocacy group. Many braved the acrid and stinging conditions — the PSI level in Pangkalan Raya hit 1,400 today — to vent their anger.

Addressing the group of about 20 security personnel guarding the gate outside the Governor's office, protesters threatened to enter the compound if the Governor did not come out to meet them. A few were subsequently allowed to enter the premises.

Some among the protesters told Channel NewsAsia they they feel the central government must do more to tackle the problem. Ms Umi Mastika, a member of the Palangkaraya city parliament, said the local government lacks the capacity to deal with these problems.

"Companies keep burning the forest every year but it's time for the government not to search for who did or didn't do it, but it's time for the government to take care of the health of the cities' children and the general economy," she said.

"Compared to previous governments, the current government of Joko Widodo is not acting as quickly as the previous central governments." CHANNEL NEWSASIA

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