Forest fire haze causes breathing problems to over 900,000 Indonesians
The number of Indonesians suffering respiratory problems or ISPA caused by smoke from forest and peatland fires blanketing parts of Borneo and Sumatra in the past few months has reached over 919,000, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Agus Wibowo.
Indonesian people at an anti-haze centre in Riau province on September 20 (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) – The number of Indonesians suffering respiratoryproblems or ISPA caused by smoke from forest and peatland fires blanketingparts of Borneo and Sumatra in the past few months has reached over 919,000,according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesmanAgus Wibowo.
Data from the country’s Health Ministry as of September 23 showed that peoplesuffering from ISPA amounted to 919,516 in six provinces, Agus told a pressconference in East Jakarta on September 23.
The highest number of residents with haze-related illness were found in SouthSumatra (291,807), followed by Riau (nearly 267,000), West Kalimantan (nearly181,000), South Kalimantan (67,293), Jambi (63,554), and Central Kalimantan(40,374), he added.
The government has distributed 73,000 respiratory masks to affected localities,and established several posts in a number of areas so that people can check ontheir health and ask for masks, medicines and supplementary foods for babiesand pregnant women.
According to the United Nations, Indonesian forest fires are putting nearly 10million children at risk from air pollution. The warning was given after scientistssaid the blazes were releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
The United Nations Children’s Fund said almost 10 million people under 18 livein the areas worst affected by fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island and thecountry’s part of Borneo island. Small children are especially vulnerable dueto underdeveloped immune systems while babies born to mothers exposed topollution during pregnancy may have low birth weights and be delivered early.
Indonesia has deployed some 10,000 soldiers, policemen and BNPB staff as wellas tens of helicopters for water bombing to fight forest fires in the past twomonths./.
Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on September 13 that some forest fires in its territory had started on land used by subsidiaries of Malaysian companies.
A satellite image showed thick haze from a forest fire in Indonesia spreading into Malacca Strait, Singapore and Malaysia on September 14, according to the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and Environment on September 15 closed more than 30 plantation companies in Kalimantan and Sumatra as part of efforts to minimise wildfires.
Many schools on Indonesia’s Borneo and Sumatra islands on September 16 were closed due to choking smoke from forest fires while the country has recorded thousands of respiratory infection cases.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on September 17 that about 5,600 additional military personnel have been deployed to help 9,000 people currently fighting bush fires which have razed more than 328,700 hectares of land nationwide.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Indonesian people at an anti-haze centre in Riau province on September 20 (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
