Seeking common ground to resolve Indonesia’s fire and haze quandary
In a recently published editorial in The Straits Times, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), Professor Simon Tay, examined the complex issues on the ground relating to Indonesia’s land and forest fire issue.
The team from NUS and SIIA with Anderson Tanoto at RGE’s research and technology center in Riau province.
Professor Tay is closely involved in this perennial issue which impacts not only Indonesia but also its neighboring countries.
As part of a fact-finding mission, he and his colleagues from SIIA and NUS recently traveled to Riau province, one of the most fire prone areas in Indonesia, to get a first-hand look on how communities and companies cope with the fire issue.
They were hosted by Anderson Tanoto, son of the founder of Royal Golden Eagle, who walked the guests through the multifaceted elements of land and forest fire in the area.
While corporations manage their concessions well, unmanaged area are fire-prone, Professor Tay noted, while concluding that cooperation between government is required as well as continued action by corporations, local communities and NGOs.
Click here to read Professor Tay’s Op-Ed in The Straits Times.
