Yes, We are a Little Red Dot.

So recently Indonesia's politicians have launched yet another tiresome tirade about Singapore's small size and how we always "take advantage" of them...blah blah blah.

It seems to me, that whenever the Indonesian politicians implement any policy / scheme which is somehow has something remotely to do with Singapore, and it is likely to be doomed to failure, they will always "hedge" their positions by claiming that the policy / scheme is being opposed / hindered / sabo'ed by Singapore, simply because it seems that when it comes to all things Indonesia, that's what Singapore does.

I guess Singapore is a convenient scapegoat to pin the blame if things don't go according to their plans. And that all their failures in policy and governance have got nothing to do with their own incompetence and wide-spread corruption.

This time , their latest "outrage" centers around how Singapore is supposedly "offering incentives" to hinder their Tax Amnesty Programme. And the Indo politicians seem to be reacting to rumors being reported by the Indo media. You can read about all these in the links below.

Suffice to say, Singapore Government has categorically refuted those accusations.

However what is note-worthy is Minister Shanmugam’s smack-down on the remarks made by the Indo Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro. He said, “Just let it be, I am not afraid of Singapore which is just a small country like that”.

Well, really? Then why do you feel the need to specifically mention it? sheesh...

And here’s what Minister Shanmugam had to say about that.

Via Facebook

Yeah.. you go Min. Shanmugam!

Read more here:

THOUGHTS OF REAL SINGAPOREANS - Little red dot, so what??

Straits Times - No tax cut or policy change in response to Indonesia's tax amnesty: Singapore

TODAY - Singapore denies cutting tax rates to 'thwart' Indonesia's tax amnesty programme

Global Indonesian Voices - Bring the Money Back and You Shall be Forgiven

AsianNewsNetwork - Indonesia's tax amnesty brouhaha gets to Singapore

Straits Times - Indonesia plans tax amnesty to lure money back from Singapore

Wind to blame for haze problem, says Indonesian VP Jusuf Kalla

MANILA - Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday (Nov 18) blamed the wind for spreading the haze to neighbouring countries, saying it was something beyond Indonesia's control.


{PP: Really? It's the Wind's fault? That's the best you can do you dumb shit?}


Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO summit, Mr Kalla said: "I'm so sorry to Malaysia and Singapore to say that we cannot control the wind. We don't want the haze to go everywhere. (It happened) not because we want it to (affect) our neighbours, but because of the wind."


{PP: No, you retard. The haze didn't happen because of the wind. It happened because irresponsible people started fires to clear land.}


Mr Kalla was asked during a question-and-answer session what challenges the Indonesian government faces in stamping out the yearly haze brought on by farmers slashing and burning farmland in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

This year, the plumes of smoke and dust spread as far as the Philippines, shrouding large parts of South-east Asia for a few months and causing health problems, school closures and flight cancellations.

Mr Kalla acknowledged that it was a "big problem" that had affected the region.

To tackle it, his government had worked to restore the forests in Indonesia that had disappeared rapidly due to logging, he said.

He pointed out that Indonesia had about 150 million hectares of forests in the 1950s. But one third of it had been destroyed by the 1970s due to "many foreign companies teaching our people how to log for timber".


{PP: Did any of these "foreigners" force your citizens at gun-point to burn down the forests?}


This had caused the land to become drier and helped the fires spread, he said, adding that the unusually long dry spell caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon also made things worse this year.

While he thanked countries that sent planes to help put out the fires, he called on more "international cooperation" to solve the problem, saying Indonesia would not be able to do it alone.

Several countries including Singapore and Russia had sent aircraft to help douse the fires this year.

Mr Kalla said the problem would likely persist next year, but was hopeful that it would not be as serious.

He also reiterated his previous remarks about the "10 months" of good weather enjoyed by Indonesia's neighbours, quipping: "Ten months every year, the good weather goes to our neighbours. You enjoyed it, we did not ask you to pay for it. But if there's some bad problem, it is our problem to the region too."

Source: Straits Times - http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/apec-wind-to-blame-for-haze-problem-says-indonesian-vp-jusuf-kalla

Empty promises to fight the fires by Indonesia?

Taking early action a key lesson learnt from this year's haze crisis: Indonesian Minister

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan says coordination among various agencies is another lesson learnt to ensure this year's haze crisis, the worst ever on record, does not repeat itself next year. 

By Saifulbahri Ismail

POSTED: 11 Nov 2015 21:22 , UPDATED: 11 Nov 2015 21:29

JAKARTA: Taking early action has been one of the key lessons learnt from the forest fires and haze crisis this year, according to Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

"Take early action" from the same Minister that said releasing the names (of the companies responsible for the fires) would "create uncertainty" in the country.

Speaking to foreign media, Luhut Pandjaitan said that coordination among various agencies was another takeaway in ensuring this year's haze crisis, the worst ever on record, does not repeat itself next year.


"We have to extinguish the fires as early as possible, we cannot wait. If we wait, then we have to wait for the rain, the hands of God,” said Mr Luhut.


{PP: yeah sure, why don't you try preventing the fires from burning in the first place, you goondu?}


He added that the main challenge in tackling the forest fires was the worse-than-expected El Nino phenomenon. The Indonesian weather agency has been blamed for wrongly predicting the extent of the dry season this year, with the prolonged dry spell making it much more difficult to put out the forest fires.

{PP: What has weather prediction got to do with the fires? Why are the fires being started in the first place? Isn't it much more effective and simpler to stop the fires from being started, than trying to pressure the poorly trained and equipped firefighters to put out them out? How the heck did you become a Minister??}

“If we don't have rain, then we cannot control the fire. We really apologise for what happened in the last two months, we have learnt from this and we will not take any more risks. So, although they are predicting that next year there will be a small El Nino, we will still prepare for the worst El Nino," said Mr Luhut.

{PP: Nope you are not sorry. If you were really sorry, you would be releasing the names of all the companies whose land concessions have had fires started instead of making your weather agency a scape-goat for the haze. Don't try to pretend to be apologetic you corrupt weasel of a minister.}

There is still haze caused by forest fires in Ogan Kemering Ilir in south Sumatra due to dry weather, but in general, the worst seems to be over.


Mr Luhut also highlighted the need for strong leadership as another key lesson learnt.

{PP: Leadership? pff... this has got nothing to do with leadership. Its more of corrupt govt officials, loose legislation with loopholes the size of a bus and lazy enforcement that has landed Indonesia in this mess.}

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has visited hotspot areas and those affected by the haze several times. He also cut short his visit to the United States to fly home and oversee efforts to deal with the crisis.

Indonesian fire-fighters struggle with what little they have to keep the fires from spreading.

{PP: So what? Did the President's visit result in more resources and equipment for your fire-fighters? Or is this just a political wayang to show voters you "care".}


- CNA/yt

Source: Channel News Asia - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/taking-early-action-a-key/2252946.html

{PP} - Comments by Prickly Porcupine

[Haze 2015] Indo VP Kalla: Indonesia considers national emergency over forest fires

POSTED: 27 Oct 2015 19:00. UPDATED: 27 Oct 2015 20:34

Channel News Asia

JAKARTA: Indonesia is considering declaring a national emergency over fires that have been smouldering across the archipelago for weeks, sending haze drifting across much of Southeast Asia, the vice president said on Tuesday.

The government would intensify efforts to contain the fires that have caused pollution levels across the region to spike to unhealthy levels, and forced school closures and flight cancellations, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said.

"The problem is too big," Kalla said in an interview at his office in Jakarta.

"We are now considering to," he said, referring to a declaration of an emergency, adding that thousands of troops would be deployed to help combat the fires.

President Joko Widodo is expected to make a decision on the emergency after returning from the United States, Kalla said.

Kalla's comments come just a day after Widodo announced he would cut short his first official trip to the United States to fly directly to the haze-affected areas.

"He will be more focussed on domestic problems," Kalla said of the president's decision to cancel his visit to Silicon Valley, where he was expected to discuss investment deals with Apple and Google executives.

The fires, often deliberately set by plantation companies and smallholders, have been burning for weeks in the forests and carbon-rich peat lands of Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.

Recently, they have spread to places like Papua as the El Nino weather phenomenon exacerbates the dry season and hampers firefighting efforts.

An aide to the vice president, Wijayanto Samirin, said elevating the crisis to national emergency status would allow the government to speed up procurement processes for much-needed foreign firefighting equipment.

But he added there were concerns that businesses could use the government action to declare force majeure on deals in sectors ranging from palm oil to banking.

Kalla said about 40 million Indonesians in five provinces had been affected by the haze. The national disaster agency said late on Monday that haze was starting to spread south towards Java island, where over half the country’s population lives.

Indonesia has also deployed warships to evacuate infants and other vulnerable residents of haze-hit areas, a minister said last week.

The evacuations will be a last resort, said coordinating security minister Luhut Pandjaitan, if authorities are unable to provide care for those suffering from respiratory diseases.

The last time the country declared a national emergency was when the Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 100,000 people in 2004.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

- Reuters

Source: Channel News Asia

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/indonesia-considers/2221238.html

=============================

[Haze 2015] While the Indo Govt potters around the haze, their own citizens suffer

This is a photo that was taken by Bjorneo Bear. Here is his story.

Today was a yellow day in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Air pollution index reached an all time high of 2900psi. I don't know what that means anymore. 

The man in the photo is Slamet. Normally he works in construction, but because of the haze there is currently no work for him in Palangka Raya. Slamet has no money, like literally no money. 

So he casts his net into a dirty canal somewhere in Palangka Raya. The water is full of garbage and toxic waste, yet he says "better a dirty fish than no fish at all. Always be grateful and give thanks to God."

Sources: 

Bjorneo Bear (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=717264005070209&set=a.173483706114911.37953.100003598492069&type=3&permPage=1

Stunning, heartbreaking photo of man going fishing in toxic yellow 2,900 PSI haze in Central Kalimantan
http://jakarta.coconuts.co/2015/10/19/viral-stunning-heartbreaking-photo-man-going-fishing-toxic-yellow-2900-psi-haze-central



And here is what the Indo Govt's Coordinating Minister is concerned about when asked about releasing the names of the companies that are responsible for starting the fires that are causing the haze.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan said releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country.

Source: Channel News Asia - Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/jakarta-not-ready-to-name/2203338.html

To Luhut Pandjaitan, I say this:

[Haze 2015] Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires

POSTED: 19 Oct 2015 19:43 UPDATED: 19 Oct 2015 23:19
By Sujadi Siswo, Channel NewsAsia

JAKARTA: Jakarta has said it is not yet ready to officially disclose names of plantation companies responsible for the forest fires in the country that caused the haze in the region.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan said releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country.

Speaking to the media in Singapore after delivering a public lecture on Monday (Oct 19), he said Jakarta might consider releasing the names of the companies after they have gone though the legal process in Indonesia.

However, media reports said Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry had revoked the concession licences of several companies responsible for causing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Others had their licences or operations suspended. The companies' names have been mentioned by the reports.

More than 200 plantation companies operating in Sumatra and Kalimantan are being investigated for clearing their land by burning. A number of them are believed to have links to Singapore-based firms.

The Singapore Government has officially requested Jakarta to provide them with the names of those companies. This would allow Singapore to take legal action against those responsible for the haze that has blanketed the city-state and neighboring Malaysia and Thailand.

Luhut Pandjaitan said: “Well, we are not protecting (plantation companies). Like I mentioned earlier, we have not officially submitted the names to the court. So how can we disclose them to the public? It’s unfair. We’ll wait for the court’s final decision."

He added that the Indonesian government also do not want to create an uncertain situation within the country because of this. "Moving forward, they know that they are going to get punished by the government. I think this is very important.

"But next year, we have already given them a clear message: We are going to revoke their licence, no question about that. That I can assure you. They understand that fully.”

- CNA/al

Source: Channel News Asia - Jakarta not ready to name firms responsible for forest fires
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/jakarta-not-ready-to-name/2203338.html


============================================================

Isn't the Indo govt's response to releasing the company-names just bullcrap?

What the heck does it mean when the Indo govt says:

"it is not yet ready to officially disclose names of plantation companies responsible for the forest fires in the country that caused the haze in the region."

And the reason given for this stance by the Indo’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Pandjaitan is that:

"..releasing the names would create uncertainty within the country."


What the difference between a normal news report that releases the name of the suspect who has been charged with robbery, and the Indo govt publicizing the list of companies which are being/will be charged for causing the fires/haze??

How does the act of releasing the names "create uncertainty within the country"?

Like the person accused of robbery, these companies will be given their chance in Court to prove their innocence and refute the charges.

Or did Luhut Pandjaitan just unwittingly admit that there are so many govt officials and ministers involved or associated with these companies that to publicize the names would actually be bad for their financial interests/ destroy their voter support / expose their corrupt dealings?

And didn't the Indo Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi inform S'pore that they will soon share with Singapore the names of companies responsible for the illegal forest fires in Sept 2015? (ST: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/jakarta-to-share-names-of-culprits-behind-haze-fires)

In the meantime, the Indo citizens suffer and the rest of the world continues to benefit choke from Indonesia's contribution poisoning of the world-wide environment while their joke-of-a-government continues to potter around and worry about "creating uncertainty within the country."

============================================================

POSTED: 21 Oct 2015 13:24 UPDATED: 21 Oct 2015 19:00

Carbon from Indonesia fires exceeds US emissions: Green groups

The World Resources Institute, using findings from the Global Fire Emissions Database, said in a recent report that since early September carbon emissions from the fires had exceeded average US daily output on 26 out of 44 days.

JAKARTA: Indonesian forest and agricultural fires cloaking Southeast Asia in acrid haze are spewing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each day than all US economic activity, according to an environmental watchdog.

The shock assessment came as Jakarta said the number of blazes was increasing across the archipelago despite a multinational fire-fighting effort, and announced plans to deploy more water-bombing aircraft.

For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming have suffocated vast expanses of the region with smog, causing respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be cancelled.

Much of the burning is in tropical peatlands rich in carbon but which are being drained and cleared at a rapid rate to make way for agriculture, particularly fast-expanding palm oil plantations.

The World Resources Institute said in a recent report that since early September carbon emissions from the fires had exceeded average US daily output on 26 out of 44 days.

The United States is the world's second-largest greenhouse gas source after China. The WRI, a US-based research organisation that focuses on environment and development issues, normally classifies Indonesia as the fifth-biggest emitter.

"The burning of tropical peatlands is so significant for greenhouse gas emissions because these areas store some of the highest quantities of carbon on Earth, accumulated over thousands of years," said the WRI.

"Draining and burning these lands for agricultural expansion, such as conversion to oil palm or pulpwood plantations, leads to huge spikes in greenhouse gas emissions."

In its report, the WRI used findings from the Global Fire Emissions Database, which uses satellite information to estimate emissions from blazes.

The smog crisis is escalating as world leaders gear up for talks beginning next month on a climate rescue pact, which will seek to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

FIRES SPREADING

The fires and resulting region-wide blanket of smoke occur to varying degrees each year during the dry season as land is illegally cleared by burning, regularly angering Indonesia's smog-hit neighbours Malaysia and Singapore.

Malaysia, which in recent weeks has repeatedly ordered school closures across several states as a health precaution, did so again on Wednesday for the third straight day as pollution levels climbed.

The landmark twin towers in the capital Kuala Lumpur were shrouded in dense, grey smog, with air quality in the "very unhealthy" or "unhealthy" range across much of the country. In Singapore, air quality was in the "unhealthy" range.

Popular Thai holiday islands have also been affected with the haze forcing several planes packed with beach-bound tourists to turn back earlier this month.

While the loudest complaints have come from leaders in relatively affluent Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, it is poor Indonesian villagers who are suffering most.

One of the worst-hit areas, Palangkaraya, on Borneo, has been engulfed in thick, yellow haze, which has drastically reduced visibility and pushed air quality to more than six times "hazardous" levels.

Experts warn the current outbreak is on track to become the worst ever, exacerbated by bone-dry conditions caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The fires on the huge islands of Sumatra and Borneo are typically only brought under control by November with the onset of the rainy season.

But Herry Purnomo, a scientist at the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research, told AFP this week that climatology data indicated the rainy season may be delayed this year and that the fires could last until year-end.

Indonesia earlier this month agreed to accept international help after failing for weeks to douse the fires and last week launched its biggest fire-fighting push yet, with dozens of planes backing up thousands of personnel on the ground.

But the national disaster agency said the number of "hotspots" - areas detected by satellite which are already ablaze, or ripe to go up in flames - had risen to more than 3,200 and spread to the eastern Papua region, which is usually largely unaffected by fires.

Authorities hope to deploy a further 10 to 15 water-bombing planes, which will join about 30 aircraft already fighting the blazes. Singaporean and Malaysian aircraft have taken part in the operations, while two Russian planes arrived Wednesday to provide assistance.

- AFP/rw/ec

Source: Channel News Asia - Carbon from Indonesia fires exceeds US emissions: Green groups
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/carbon-from-indonesia/2207404.html?cx_tag=similar#cxrecs_s

[Haze 2015] Moral need to act decisively on haze, says Eng Hen

By Francis Chan, Indonesia Bureau Chief In Jakarta
Published on Oct 25, 2015.

The strongest motivation to resolve this year's transboundary haze crisis - statistically proven to be the worst in a decade - must be a moral one, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has said.

And those who own or use the land for commercial purposes must bear responsibility for the fires raging over them, Dr Ng added yesterday, as he welcomed the Singapore firefighting assistance team that returned home after a two-week mission to Indonesia.

"The haze has impacted the lives of millions of residents in our region in many ways. Schools have closed and the volume of business has dropped. Tourist arrivals will plummet if this becomes a chronic issue," Dr Ng wrote in a Facebook post.

"But to me, the strongest motivation to deal with the haze for Indonesia must be a moral one - the health of hundreds of thousands of their own citizens are affected by this man-made disaster as they breathe in high levels of pollutants. These are strong reasons to act decisively."

Yesterday, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told The Sunday Times that the government plans to claw back concessions in peatlands that have not been cultivated, to prevent companies from using the slash-and-burn method to clear land.

The move is seen as a strong indication that Indonesia believes peatland restoration must be the focus of any efforts to end the haze crisis.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency estimates that more than 43 million people in the country are breathing in the toxic fumes from the fires.

The haze has also hit Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, forcing airports to delay or ground flights and schools to close as well.

The human costs, however, are the highest in Indonesia, where there have been unverified reports of more than 10 deaths, including babies, from lung infections.

Dr Ng said Indonesian leaders, including President Joko Widodo, have realised that what is key in preventing this environmental disaster from recurring is prevention and enforcement.

"I applaud the President's ideas and initiatives. The industrial scale of this disaster - millions of hectares burning - requires a systemic, deliberate and multi-prong response to be effective."

He added that there is no shortage of international expertise to help in the crisis.

On Oct 10, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployed three aircraft and a 34-strong team to Sumatra after Indonesia accepted Singapore's offer.

The SAF team was accompanied by a six-man Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

"The Indonesian authorities accepted help from various countries, including Singapore, to deal with the haze for an initial two-week period," said Dr Ng.

"With the two-week period concluded, our SAF and SCDF personnel returned home today.

"This is the worst haze situation to affect this region in a decade. Our deepest thanks to our men and women who overcame difficult conditions on this mission to put out hot spots and help the surrounding villages."

Source: 

The Straits Times - Moral need to act decisively on haze, says Eng Hen
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/moral-need-to-act-decisively-on-haze-says-eng-hen


=====================================

Talk about Wayang - A photo of the Indonesian President was released showing him "surveying" the areas in Kalimantan that are burning. At that point in time, the PSI was about 2000.

This video shows how a place would really look like when the PSI is 2000.

This are the comments from two of the Indo Ministers about Singapore's assistance to fight the fires.

I am really skeptical that the Indo govt is serious about solving this man-made crisis.

[Haze 2015] The Indonesian Haze reaches Philippines

Friday, Oct 23, 2015, AFP

MANILA - Haze from Indonesian forest fires has spread to the southern and central Philippines, disrupting air traffic and prompting warnings for residents to wear face masks, authorities said Friday.

The large southern Philippine island of Mindanao is more than 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the nearest fires but the haze has become a worsening problem across the island over the past week, aviation authorities said.

It spread to the country's central islands of Cebu and Negros on Friday, disrupting air traffic, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said.

Eight domestic flights have been cancelled and dozens delayed since the problem began on October 16, affecting thousands of passengers, he added.

On some occasions, pilots could not see the airstrip as they were coming in to land.

"If you cannot see the runway it is very dangerous. You cannot always depend on instruments," he told AFP.

Dense haze hung over Davao, Mindanao's largest city of 1.5 million people, on Friday afternoon, plunging it under an early twilight.

Its airport, one of those affected according to Apolonio, handles 48 flights a day.

With visibility down to 1.2 kilometres at some times during the day, far less than the usual 10 kilometres, aircraft are forced to circle and wait above the runways for up to an hour, according to Apolonio.

Apolonio said the flight delays were also disrupting the busy airport of capital Manila, with some Mindanao-bound flights being held back.

Because Manila airport is operating at its full capacity of 40 landings and take-offs per hour, any delay involving Mindanao flights disrupts the aircraft queue for the rest of the day, he added.

For nearly two months, dense haze produced by Indonesian slash-and-burn farmers have suffocated vast expanses of Southeast Asia.

This has caused rates of respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be cancelled.

Much of the burning is in peatlands being drained and cleared at a rapid rate to make way for agriculture.

The Philippines has not been badly impacted.

It may have worsened recently due to Typhoon Koppu, which hit the northern Philippines on October 18, drawing the haze towards it, state weather forecaster Manny Mendoza told AFP.

While the seasonal northeast monsoons are expected to push back some of the haze from Indonesia over the coming weeks, any storms hitting the Philippines the rest of the year could aggravate the problem, he said.

"We can't say at this point that the smoke and haze will go away soon. This is expected to continue," Mendoza said.

The haze was not so bad as to raise a medical alarm, but residents in affected areas are being advised to wear face masks, according to health department spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy.

"The content (of the smoke) is not that much but even small amounts of ash could trigger an asthma attack, or cardio-pulmonary obstructive disease," he told AFP.

Sources:

Asiaone.com - Indonesian haze reaches the Philippineshttp://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/indonesian-haze-reaches-philippines#sthash.wnGlV2vk.dpuf

Image: Fabrications About The PAP (FAP)
https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/a.245735922149090.70599.213440582045291/916402138415795/?type=3&theater

[ Haze 2015 ] Singapore’s one-plane offer to help fight fires ‘insulting’

What kind of retarded people does Indonesia have as Ministers?

Only 1 aircraft? And its insulting?

Every single year the fires have been burning like clockwork. And yet no concrete action is taken except to blame it on "natural causes".

He makes a big show over the indo govt’s attempt to fight the fires and tries to disparage the contributions of the international assistance extended to them. Obviously he is trying to bolster support for the govt and appeal to voters.

However the underlying cause of the problem is overlooked. He does not address the root cause of the haze – which is taking action against errant landowners who use slash/burn practices for land clearing.

The Haze is NOT caused by the lack of fire-fighting equipment. It is caused by their weak laws and corrupt enforcement agencies that turn a blind eye to the errant landowners' actions.

Why must Indo wait unit NEXT YEAR to take action against the errant land owners??? Why can't enforcement action be taken now?

 Is it because their laws are weak, or is it because senior govt officials who have vested interests need time to ‘escape’ before action is taken?

==================================================


Published: 10:57 PM, October 21, 2015, Updated: 11:05 PM, October 21, 2015

JAKARTA — Singapore’s offer in September of only “one aircraft” to Indonesia to help fight forest fires that have caused thick haze to descend around the region was “insulting”, said Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Speaking in an interview last Friday (Oct 16) with the country’s Tempo magazine, Mr Luhut defended Indonesia’s perceived tardiness in putting out the fires and in accepting foreign aid.

“During the dry season, peatlands tend to be very flammable. When we bombard the land with water to put out the flames, they just come out again. So I get a headache when people get upset. What are we supposed to do?” he replied when asked why this year’s forest fires are worse than those of last year’s.

“Then someone asks why we didn’t accept the assistance offered earlier. There are many reasons for that. Firstly, we wanted to try and do it on our own. Secondly, we didn’t realise the process would be so long. Thirdly, (Singapore) offered only one aircraft. It was insulting.”

In September, Singapore offered a C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, a Chinook helicopter with a water bucket for aerial fire-fighting, and up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry the Singapore Civil Defence Force fire-fighting assistance team.

Mr Luhut’s comments in the latest issue of the magazine came after Indonesia finally accepted help from Singapore on Oct 7 after repeatedly ­declining offers of help for weeks. Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had even flown to Jakarta at the end of September to meet his Indonesian counterpart at one of the meetings. During his visit, Dr Ng also met Mr Luhut.

On October 11, aircraft from Singapore and Malaysia began water-bombing missions to put out the raging fires in South Sumatra.

Singapore sent a Republic of Singapore Armed Forces (RSAF) Chinook helicopter with a 5,000-litre heli-bucket and 34 SAF personnel to help fight the ongoing forest fires, together with a six-man Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Two RSAF C-130 aircraft were also deployed to transport SAF and SCDF personnel.

In an interview on Oct 7, Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told CNN Indonesia that Jakarta had earlier rejected Singapore’s offers of assistance because it was concerned that the city state would claim credit for solving the problem, despite being worried about the rapidly deteriorating situation.

In the Tempo interview, Mr Luhut also pledged to confiscate the land and revoke the licences of big companies that practise illegal burning next year.

“This haze problem is also about injustice. When a company controls 2.8 million hectares of land, where is the justice? Then there are those who own 600,000 hectares of land but own not a single fire extinguisher. Should the government be dousing fires all the time? If we call it a national disaster, they will benefit by it.” AGENCIES

Sources:

TODAY Online - Singapore’s one-plane offer to help fight fires ‘insulting’
http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/singapores-one-plane-offer-help-fight-fires-insulting

Fabrications About The PAP

https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/a.245735922149090.70599.213440582045291/915032691886073/?type=3&theater

[ Haze 2015 ] Indonesia set to be world's No. 3 air polluter

PUBLISHED OCT 18, 2015, 5:00 AM SGT
By David Fogarty, Assistant Foreign Editor, Straits Times

Indonesia is on track to become the world's third-largest greenhouse gas polluter this year, surpassing India, as raging forest and land fires pump out huge volumes of carbon dioxide and thick smoke.

Happening just weeks before a major global climate conference, the fires underscore Indonesia's immense challenge in curbing emissions from agriculture and put into question its ability to meet its climate targets.

Indonesia has just released a detailed climate action plan for the United Nations conference in Paris from Nov 30 to Dec 11. The UN hopes nations will agree on a global deal to fight climate change centred on cutting carbon emissions. Indonesia has pledged to cut emissions from business-as-usual levels by 29 per cent by 2030.

That goal is already under threat. About 75 per cent of Indonesia's emissions come from deforestation, peatland clearance and peat fires every year. In Brazil, emissions from deforestation and fires are about 35 per cent.

In theory, Indonesia could slash its greenhouse gas pollution by curbing unregulated and poorly planned expansion of palm oil and pulpwood plantations, particularly on carbon-rich peatlands.

But ongoing agricultural expansion is setting up Indonesia for large and uncontrolled carbon emissions. More intense droughts in future, as the planet heats up, could also trigger worse fires.

Peatlands are a top concern. Once cleared and drained, they release huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) for decades as they decompose.

Initial estimates show the current fires have emitted nearly twice the annual emissions of Australia and could double again before the rainy season finally comes.

"How large the emissions eventually will be depends on how long El Nino can delay the onset of the wet season. My take is that we are halfway through the fire season," Dr Guido van der Werf, of the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, told The Sunday Times in an e-mail.

The El Nino weather pattern normally brings drought to Indonesia and parts of Australia and this year's event is set to last for several more months.

Dr van der Werf, a specialist in estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fires, runs daily analyses on Indonesia's blazes using data from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). As of last Thursday, the fires are estimated to have emitted the equivalent of just over one billion tonnes of CO2.

By comparison, total annual emissions from Japan, the world's No. 5 carbon polluter, are about 1.3 billion tonnes. India, at 2.5 billion tonnes, according to the latest 2013 data via Carbon Atlas, is No. 3.

Indonesia ranks in the top 10 global carbon polluters but bad fire seasons like this year's can propel it to near the top, with only China and the United States emitting more.

Indonesia has some of the planet's best tools to fight climate change. Its rainforests and mangroves soak up and store huge amounts of CO2, acting like a lung for the atmosphere, and its peatlands act like a bank, storing huge carbon deposits built up over thousands of years.

Years of rapid deforestation, though, means Indonesia has become a climate timebomb as its peatlands degrade and go up in smoke.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla is famously quoted as saying Indonesia's neighbours should stop complaining about the haze and instead be thankful for the clear air provided by Indonesia's forests.

"For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us," he said last March.

Those benefits are vanishing.

Indonesia's peatlands, among the largest in the world, are estimated to contain about 60 billion tonnes of carbon - the equivalent of nearly 220 billion tonnes of CO2, or about 22 years of China's 2013 CO2 emissions. Continued clearance and burning will only stoke climate change and increase the threat to Indonesia, with an estimated 42 million Indonesians at risk from rising sea levels, says the government.

Global NGO Wetlands International says peat oxidation emits roughly 700 million tonnes of CO2 a year in Indonesia. Fires and deforestation come on top of this. The government uses lower estimates but fires remain the wildcard.

This year, Indonesia's land-based emissions could hit more than two billion tonnes of CO2 because of the fires, particularly smouldering peat fires which release large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than CO2.

Only about a quarter of Indonesia's emissions comes from burning oil, coal and gas, though that will also change.

With about 60 million Indonesians without access to the electricity grid, rapid investment in coal-fired power stations mean fossil fuel emissions are also expected to rise, further challenging Indonesia's climate target.

Mr Marcel Silvius, Wetlands International's programme head, Climate-Smart Land Use, said Indonesia has to move to a development model away from peatlands. He expressed frustration over the lack of action despite the government knowing the risks.

"The development just progresses as if nothing was known about this," he told The Sunday Times.

Indonesia has plenty of conservation rules, says Dr Louis Verchot, director of forests and environment at the Centre for International Forestry Research in Bogor, Indonesia. But it needs to do things differently, particularly improving coordination between ministries and local and regional governments.

"They have to stop producing palm oil on peat and stop producing pulp for paper on peat," he told The Sunday Times from haze-choked Palangkaraya, capital of Central Kalimantan, one of the provinces worst hit by the fires. He was there last week with a British team measuring the composition of the smouldering peat fires.

The crisis on the ground bears little resemblance to the goals of Indonesia's climate pledge.

"It seems like there is a distance between what we are saying in our pledge and what we currently practise on the ground. That is something we want you to keep pounding us with," said Dr Nirarta Samadhi, Indonesia country director for the World Resources Institute think-tank, and part of the team that crafted the government's climate pledge. The government, he said, needed to keep hearing the message on land use reform.

Change is possible. Indonesia need only look to Brazil.

Emissions in Brazil have plunged because of an 80 per cent decrease in deforestation since 2004. Total emissions in 2013 were down more than 40 per cent since the all-time high in 2004. The consequence? Cutting deforestation prevented 3.2 billion tonnes in emissions that would have otherwise been expected, equal to taking all cars off American roads for three years, according to environmental news site Mongabay.com.


Source: 

The Straits Times - Indonesia set to be world's No. 3 air polluter
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-set-to-be-worlds-no-3-air-polluter

Image: Singapore Matters (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/SingaporeMatters/photos/a.710662802353449.1073741828.710654255687637/885915774828150/?type=3&permPage=1

[Haze 2015] Popular memes about the Haze

[Haze 2015] Indonesia flip-flops on accepting Singapore's assistance in fighting the fires

Within the space of a few days, Indonesia flip-flops on whether it would welcome Singapore's assistance to fight the fires causing the haze.

Sep 14 - Singapore reiterates offer of assistance to Indonesia to fight forest fires
SINGAPORE: Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Sep 14) spoke with Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar and reiterated Singapore's offer of help to combat forest fires, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement. 

The offer came as the number of hotspots in Indonesia's Sumatra island soared to a two-month high of 982 on Monday, and a state of emergency has been declared in Riau province.

Indonesia had earlier accepted the Singapore Armed Forces' offer to send C-130s for cloud seeding and Chinooks for large water buckets to douse fires, only to decline it later. 

"While the Indonesian authorities accepted our offer of assistance initially, they have since expressed appreciation for the offer, and said they have sufficient resources of their own for now," Singapore's Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

Source: CNA Online http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-reiterates/2125790.html

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Sept 17 - Indonesia turns down Singapore’s offer to help extinguish forest firesIndonesia has turned down an offer of military assistance from Singapore to extinguish wildfires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with thick haze from the fires also severely affecting air quality in the city-state. 

Last week, Singapore released a statement saying its armed forces were ready to support the Indonesian Military (TNI) in combating the forest fires.

Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar confirmed today (Sept 17) that she had passed up the offer in a phonecall with her Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan.


“They offered help, but I told them we’re still trying to handle it ourselves,” Dr Bakar said, as quoted by newsportal CNN Indonesia.com.

Source: TODAY http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/indonesia-turns-down-singapores-offer-help-extinguish-forest-fires

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Sept 27 - Singapore should help solve haze issue, not just talk about it: Indonesian V-P Jusuf Kalla
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Indonesian government welcomes any country, including Singapore, that wants to help extinguish forest and land fires in the country to remove the haze, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has said.

"Go ahead, we are open. Singapore can come and see for themselves if they want to help. Don't just talk (about it)," said Mr Kalla on Sunday (Sept 27) in New York, according to a report by the Antara news agency.


Singapore has previously expressed frustration with Indonesia regarding the smog that has affected the country and expressed its willingness help to battle the fires - offers that Indonesia has so far rejected.

Source: ST Online http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/singapore-should-help-solve-haze-issue-not-just-talk-about-it-indonesian-v-p-jusuf

[Haze 2015] The wealth of Indonesia’s richest flourishes on palm oil

Posted by Benjamin Chiang  on September 25, 2015 at 11:45 am 

Wanna know why your haze problem isn’t going away any time soon?

Indonesia’s commodities (and government revenues) account for around 60 percent of exports.  A good 50% of Indonesia’s share of commodity exports is attributed to palm oil.

Palm oil accounts for 11% of Indonesia’s export earnings of $5.7bn.

On the 5th of March 2015, a Jusuf Kalla criticised neighbours for “grumbling about haze”.

“They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset,” the Jakarta Globe quoted him. “Singapore shouldn’t be like children, in such a tizzy.” he said.

Some days later, his colleague Jero Wacik warned Malaysia and Singapore not to “tell stories to the world”. To put things into perspective, Jero Wacik served as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia until September 2014 following his naming as a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Jusuf Kalla, who serves as the Vice President of Indonesia since 2014, had good reason for being sympathetic to the burning.

Before Kalla went into politics, he was a businessman. He led a company called NV Hadji Kalla. A company that (amongst other businesses) deals with *wait for it* palm oil.

Jusuf Kalla’s brother-in-law is Aksa Mahmud. A multi-millionaire that founded Bosowa, one of the largest conglomerates in eastern Indonesia. It has interests also in …you never guessed: palm oil.
Bosowa’s factory is linked to Multi Agro’s subsidiaries and is located in Aceh Jaya.

On the 30th of June 2015, PT Bosowa Megalopolis, a subsidiary of PT Multi Agro Gemilang Plantation, Tbk (MAGP) has gained an additional permit for an area of 3,000 hectares in Sumatera to develop new palm tree plantations.

There are so many companies that have a stake in Sumatra that it’s hard, without extensive investigation to determine who’s responsible for the blazes in each forest.

According to Time magazine (15th September 2015), hundreds gathered in Riau’s capital city Pekanbaru, where officials have issued a state of emergency, and were seen crying and praying for rain in front of the governor’s office.

One of the business partners of Jusuf Kalla is Chairul Tanjung, whom he just opened a new theme park with. Chairul Tanjung runs Para Group, which includes CT Corp, a company that has interests in – voila, palm oil. 

Now, to be clear I am not alleging corruption, collusion or nepotism. I’m trying to point out how deep this problem actually is.

What they have is a combustible mix of poverty and corporate greed, each willing to exploit the other. There are people, both rich and poor, powerful and weak, all with a stake in burning large plots of land in a bid to clear the way for commercial crops.

Singapore can do little. We need them more than they need us.

What are our options really? Sanction them? The Indonesians will laugh their head off and ask you to please go ahead. No use going the “tough talk” route either because we’ve had a history of military friction with them and we really do not want to end up in pointless and childish war of words.
Meanwhile, people are choking on smoke that soars up to 2000 PSI. Children and the elderly are coughing their lungs out. Diseases are developing in people. We do not yet know of the long term effects long term exposure to the smog will have on our lives.

With these things plaguing their conscience, I wonder how the CEOs and government leaders sleep at night.

Oh yes, with a state-of-the-art air conditioner and industrial strength air filter of course.

Source: Five Stars and a Moon http://www.fivestarsandamoon.com/the-wealth-of-indonesias-richest-flourishes-on-palm-oil/