JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologized Monday to Singapore and Malaysia for record-setting pollution caused by forest fires in his country.
“For what is happening, as the president, I apologize to our brothers in Singapore and Malaysia,” Yudhoyono said. He asked for their understanding and said Indonesia is working hard to fight the fires, which are often set by farmers to clear fields.
Jakarta dispatched planes and helicopters last week to battle the blazes in peat swamp forests as well as plantations in Riau province on Sumatra island, where the smoke easily drifts across the sea to the two neighboring countries.
Malaysian declared a state of emergency Sunday in a district where the haze triggered one of the country’s worst pollution levels, while Singapore has urged people to remain indoors due to “hazardous” levels of pollution.
