Kuala Lumpur

In an unprecedented move, officials from the Association of South-East Asian Nations ( asean ) met representatives from Indonesian plantation firms to discuss ways to prevent forest fires that gave rise to the disastrous smoky haze in the region. The firms are held responsible for triggering the huge forest fires during their annual land clearing season from July to September.

The decision to meet the plantation companies was made last August when asean environment ministers discussed the haze in Singapore. Report in a daily newspaper stated that the asean felt a dislogue with the plantation firms would be most effective to try and stop the burning of forest land as Indonesia at present had no stringent laws on open burning. The meeting was held on January 19 at the Pekan Baru town in Indonesia's Sumatra island, which is were most of the big plantation firms are located.