Indonesia denies its fires are causing blankets of haze in neighboring Malaysia

By EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has denied that forest and peat fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands are causing the haze in neighboring Malaysia. The Malaysian government sent a letter to Indonesia’s environment and forestry minister asking for both countries to work together to deal with the blazes. Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and the Borneo island city of Kuching were recently listed as two of the world’s most polluted cities. Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strains relations with neighboring countries. Smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.