Dozens of fires were still burning across Sumatra on Thursday -- many lit by small landholders to clear trees from areas of peatland in order to grow oil palm or other crops.

Indonesia's forest fire chief Noor Hidayat said about 300 extra firefighters had been sent to the worst-affected area, Sumatra's Riau province, which lies opposite Singapore across the Malacca Strait.

"We have been making efforts to contain the fires. It's very difficult in the peatland areas," Forestry Minister Zulkilfi Hasan told reporters.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo telephoned his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa Friday to express the city state's concerns about severe air pollution, and offer help in controlling the fires.

Natalegawa "assured minister Yeo that Indonesia would address the haze problem, adding that many Indonesians in Sumatra are also affected," the Singapore foreign ministry statement said.

"This so-called haze situation is a classic case or example of a challenge that is transboundary in nature that cannot be solved simply by one country," Natalegawa said.

"It must be recalled that we have not had a similar case for more than three or four years," Natalegawa said, referring to previous success in the attempt to curb haze.

Malaysia has also been hit by the problem, which peaked on Sunday when 351 hotspots were recorded on Sumatra, but air travel has so far remained normal in all three countries.

The haze issue has resurfaced ahead of a summit meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in Hanoi next week.

Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia was in touch with the secretariat of ASEAN, which was helping establish a response.

"We are getting the ASEAN secretariat to coordinate a regional response to tackle the haze situation, which could worsen if the forest fires are not put out," he told AFP.

The most severe outbreak of haze took place in 1997-1998, when widespread fires caused nine billion dollars in economic, social and environmental damage, according to ASEAN.

Jakarta has outlawed land-clearing by fire but weak law enforcement means the ban is largely ignored in Indonesian provinces.

"Their weakest points are enforcement of the laws and lack of transparency," Joko Arif, Southeast Asia forest team leader at environmental group Greenpeace told AFP.

He said not enough information was being given to the public on the location and size of forest fires.

earlier related report
Singapore offers to help Indonesia put out forest fires
Singapore (AFP) Oct 22, 2010 - Singapore on Friday stepped up the pressure on Indonesia to put out forest fires in Sumatra that have caused severe air pollution and health problems in neighbouring countries.

Foreign Minister George Yeo phoned his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa to express concern about the "worsening" situation and reiterate Singapore's "immediate readiness" to help put out the fires, a government statement said.

Natalegawa "assured Minister Yeo that Indonesia would address the haze problem, adding that many Indonesians in Sumatra are also affected," the Singapore foreign ministry statement added.

Singapore boasts Southeast Asia's most modern armed forces, including quick-response aircraft and naval vessels, but is vulnerable to the environmental fallout from surrounding countries and seas.

It provided crucial assistance to Jakarta after the 2004 Asian tsunami, triggered by a quake off Sumatra, which killed at least 168,000 people in Indonesia alone.

Air pollution in Singapore reached unhealthy levels on Thursday due to smoke from the fires, many of which were deliberately set to clear land for farming and plantations.

The three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) recording rose to 108 on Thursday evening in Singapore, triggering a health alert because a reading above 100 is considered unhealthy.

It had fallen back to 83 by noon Friday but Singaporeans continued to take precautions, including wearing surgical masks to protect children and those suffering from respiratory problems like asthma.

The haze came less than a week after an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Brunei on how to deal with the recurring problem.

Indonesia, which will chair the 10-member ASEAN in 2011, has outlawed land-clearing by fire but weak law enforcement on the ground means the ban is largely ignored.

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