Prabowo approves foreign help to tackle fires causing regional haze, says Indonesian foreign minister

Indonesia has received presidential approval to accept foreign help against forest and land fires worsening the regional haze crisis. The approval matters because the fires are affecting Indonesia and neighboring countries, while national firefighting efforts remain under pressure.

The assistance is not yet publicly defined. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said discussions with neighboring countries had reached the technical stage. BNPB, Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, is handling those discussions. The newly appointed BNPB chief, Kristomei Sianturi, said he would assess available assets and identify foreign aid that could be accelerated.

The government has not named the countries offering help or explained whether assistance would involve aircraft, equipment, personnel, or other support. Indonesia has deployed approximately 60,000 people across six provinces. Foreign assistance could strengthen the response, but its precise role will depend on BNPB’s assessment and the technical discussions now underway.

The regional haze crisis is a cross-border air-pollution problem. Smoke from forest and land fires can spread over large areas, making the air unhealthy or difficult to breathe. It matters because the effects do not stop at national borders. People in neighboring countries can experience hazy skies and degraded air even though the fires are elsewhere.

Indonesia’s forest and land fires produce large amounts of smoke. When weather conditions and winds carry that smoke outward, it reaches countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. The article describes the current haze as transboundary and says Indonesian fires have contributed to conditions affecting Malaysia. The movement of smoke is the key mechanism linking local fires to a regional crisis.

The article does not provide pollution readings or specific health totals. It does show the diplomatic impact: Malaysia has discussed the worsening haze with Indonesia, while Singapore has offered help wherever necessary. Indonesia’s firefighting response therefore has regional importance.

Indonesia’s current firefighting response involves approximately 60,000 people deployed across six provinces. This is the clearest measure in the article of the operation’s scale. It shows that the fires are being treated as a serious national emergency rather than as isolated local incidents.

The personnel are working to tackle forest and land fires, while BNPB coordinates the wider disaster response. Newly appointed BNPB chief Kristomei Sianturi said he had been tasked with containing the wildfires as soon as possible. He also said he would assess Indonesia’s available assets and determine what foreign aid could be accelerated.

The article does not give a province-by-province breakdown or explain how the 60,000 people are divided among firefighting roles. It does show that Indonesia is combining a large domestic deployment with possible international assistance. The final shape of that assistance remains under technical discussion.

When smoke crosses borders, it can reduce air quality and expose people to harmful pollution. Haze can make skies difficult to see through and can create public-health concerns, especially for people with breathing problems. It also turns a domestic fire emergency into a regional issue because neighboring governments must respond to conditions they did not directly create.

The article gives Malaysia as a concrete example. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia had done everything it could to engage Indonesia over the worsening haze. Malaysian lawmakers also raised Indonesia’s open burning and called for diplomatic action. The smoke’s cross-border movement is the mechanism that connects Indonesian fires with Malaysia’s air-quality concerns.

These effects can strain relations, but the governments are still emphasizing cooperation. Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia would not send a diplomatic note or take legal action, because it wanted to protect close ties. Singapore’s Grace Fu also said Singapore was prepared to help Indonesia fight fires.

BNPB is the main Indonesian agency coordinating the disaster response. Its role matters because the fires affect several provinces and require national planning, resources, and cooperation with outside countries. The agency provides the central structure for Indonesia’s current firefighting operations.

The article says BNPB is handling technical discussions about assistance from neighboring countries after President Prabowo approved foreign help. BNPB chief Kristomei Sianturi also said he would assess Indonesia’s assets and determine what foreign aid could be accelerated. This links the agency’s operational role with its responsibility for evaluating additional support.

BNPB is therefore doing more than coordinating field firefighting. It is also helping decide how international assistance could fit into Indonesia’s response. The article does not identify the specific equipment, personnel, or countries involved. It says only that those details remain under technical discussion while approximately 60,000 people fight fires across six provinces.

Malaysia has chosen cooperation because it wants to preserve its close relationship with Indonesia. Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia would not send a diplomatic note or take legal action over the transboundary haze. He argued that such steps could carry serious diplomatic consequences, even while Malaysia remains affected by smoke.

The decision followed criticism in Malaysia’s parliament. Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman urged the government to protest Indonesia over open burning that contributed to the haze. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim responded that Malaysia had done everything it could to engage Indonesia. The government therefore presents engagement, rather than formal confrontation, as its chosen path.

Malaysia is balancing pressure to address the haze with the need to maintain bilateral ties. Mohamad Hasan said taking legal or diplomatic action could mean being prepared to sever relations. The article does not describe a new joint program, but Indonesia has approved foreign help and Singapore has offered assistance.

Forests and peatlands are often burned to clear vegetation for farming or other land uses because fire can remove plants quickly and at relatively low cost. This explanation comes from established environmental knowledge; the article itself does not explain why land is burned. The practice becomes especially risky during dry conditions, when flames and smoke can spread widely.

Peatlands are difficult to control because peat is made of partially decomposed organic material that can burn below the surface. A fire may continue smoldering underground even after visible flames disappear. Wind can carry embers, while dry vegetation can help flames move across the surface. Firefighters may therefore need to find hidden burning areas and keep monitoring them after initial suppression.

The article focuses on Indonesia’s current response rather than describing fire behavior. It reports approximately 60,000 people deployed across six provinces and says BNPB is coordinating operations. It also says Prabowo approved foreign assistance, suggesting that the scale and complexity of the fires may require additional support.