RIAU PROVINCE VOWS TO BE HAZE-FREE THIS YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 24 (Antara) - Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, whose province in recent years had been one of the main haze contributors due to forest and land fires in Sumatra, vowed on Monday to make his province smog-free this year.          To support his commitment to protect his province from haze, the governor called on all sides and the public around the forest areas to help support his efforts to prevent forests and land from fires.          "Thank God, last year, the haze was significantly reduced compared to the previous years during the dry season because of the efforts of all sides in carrying out prevention measures," Rachman said in a press statement made available to Antara in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Monday.          This year, the governor is committed to take preventive measures by declaring a forest-and-land fire emergency alert status.          Earlier in the day, the governors of Riau and other provinces were invited to attend a national coordination meeting on forest fire prevention in Jakarta. In the meeting, President Jokowi reminded ministers and regional authorities to remain vigilant against forest fires, starting from early this year.

GOVT SEES NO URGENCY TO SET UP SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON HAZE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 28 (Antara) - Though it will not interfere in the House's affairs, the government thinks that there is no need for the lawmakers to establish a special committee to investigate the haze problem being faced by the country.          "There is no need to indulge in polemics about the establishment of a special committee on haze," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said in Jakarta on Wednesday.         Until Tuesday, October 27, eight of the 10 factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) had agreed to a proposal to set up a special committee to investigate the handling of forest and land fire-triggered haze which has, of late, shrouded three quarters of the country as well as neighboring nations such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.         The eight factions are the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party (PD), the United Development Party (PPP), the Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).          Two other factions, the National Democratic Party (NasDem) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), have yet to take a stance on the debate to establish a special committee on haze.          Chairman of the House Commission IV on forestry and plantation affairs of DPR Edhy Prabowo said the objective of the special committee is to encourage the government to overcome the haze problem.      Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who is in charge as the coordinator of the country's handling of forest and land fires, said the rhetoric about the DPR's plan to form a special committee on haze should not be raised in a hurry.         "Let's stop the polemics for the time being while we are making our efforts. We can overcome it, and it is a matter of humanity. We can take along our politician colleagues to see the conditions in the field," Luhut said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

GOVT URGED TO END LICENSES FOR PEATLAND EXPLOITATION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 27 (Antara) - Forest and peatland fires have protracted over the past several months and triggered widespread haze in the country and in neighboring nations, namely Singapore and Malaysia.          The haze disaster which is among others caused by peatland fires has become an annual problem during the dry season. Therefore, the government is urged to stop exploiting its peatland.          House Speaker Setya Novanto has said the government must stop issuing licenses for allowing plantations on peatland because these have a dangerous impact during the dry season.          During drought, peatland areas are prone to fires which could cause a haze disaster, he told reporters in Palemang,South Sumatra on Tuesday.          Setya Novanto made the remarks when making a transit halt at Palembang's Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II airport, together with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya and Health Minister Nila F Moeloek , while on a visit to monitor the impact of haze in Jambi province.

HAZE SHROUDS MOST PARTS OF INDONESIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 26 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is intensifying efforts to extinguish forest and land fires as haze, which so far covered some parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, has reached Java and is shrouding three-quarters of Indonesia.          "The government has made various efforts and taken several steps to tackle the problem of forest and land fires as well as their impacts," Head of the Information Data Center and Public Relations of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted in Jakarta on Monday.          He earlier stated that the haze emanating from forest fires, which had hit the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, had affected Jakarta.          "Parts of Jakarta have been shrouded by thin haze originating from Sumatra and Kalimantan," he remarked.          Sutopo agreed that the current haze disaster had covered three-quarters of Indonesia as smoke from land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan had continued to spread.          "Now, more than three-quarters of Indonesia is covered by thin and thick haze," the BNPB official remarked on Sunday.

HAZE VICTIMS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER IN LATER LIFE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 21 (Antara) - The haze disaster in several provinces of Sumatra and Kalimantan over the past few months has led to respiratory infections among tens of thousands of residents.         In Riau province alone, during the period between June 29 and October 20, 2015, a total of 78,879 people were recorded to have suffered from respiratory ailments and other related diseases. According to experts, such haze disaster victims should undergo a comprehensive medical checkup as they could develop cancer later on in life.         According to Wahono, the rector of the University of Pancasila, the victims of haze, arising from forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, need to undergo a health examination as they are at a risk of developing cancer in future.         "The impact of inhaling the haze is not instant, but in the long run, the ill-effects become visible after some five to 10 years. Therefore, they need to take good care of their health," Wahono said on the sidelines of a pharmacy fair at the Pharmacy Faculty of the Pacasila University in Jakarta on Sunday.

FOREIGN COUNTRIES' ASSISTANCE EXPECTED TO END HAZE MENACE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta,  Oct 12 (Antara)- The problem posed by land fires in Indonesia, and the resultant haze which also affected neighboring countries, is expected to end soon as teams from foreign countries commenced fire extinguishing operations on Monday.              The fires and haze have affected health and disturbed daily life in Indonesia and neighboring countries.              The teams from Singapore and Malaysia joined the local forest and land fire prevention task force to commence fire extinguishing operations on Monday, focusing on the hotspots in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) district in South Sumatra.              "Today, teams from Singapore and Malaysia, along with South Sumatra's Forest and Land Fires Prevention Task Force, have begun aerial and land operations to extinguish the fires in Ogan Komering Ilir and Musi Banyuasin District," South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin stated on  Monday.              The operations were commenced in OKI and Musi Banyuasin, the two districts hit by forest and land fires so badly that they made South Sumatra the biggest haze exporter province in Indonesia during the current drought.     Hence, Ogan Komering Ilir District was accorded priority in fire extinguishing operations because OKI has been the biggest source of haze, compared to other districts in Indonesia, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, told the press on Monday.

GOVT INVESTIGATES HUNDREDS OF BUSINESSES OVER HAZE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 20 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is now investigating a total of 276 business entities suspected to have caused forest fires which create haze that shrouds Sumatra, Kalimantan, Singapore and Malaysia over the past few days.          The investigation of the 276 business entities, including private companies, cooperatives and other land business title holders, is carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK).          "In total, there are 276 suspected business entities. Some are not yet identified as they turned out to be cooperatives and HGU (land title for industrial purposes) business holders," Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said in Pekanbaru, Riau provincial capital, on Saturday night.          She said some 147 of them were now under examinations process by the National Land Agency (BPN) because they were outside the forest areas.          "But in terms of environment, the likelihood of their violation is strong. I think they have caused damage to the environment because they burnt land," Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said.

HAZE CAUSED BY FOREST FIRES IN INDONESIA WORSENING

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 12 (Antara) - Thick haze that has blanketed various parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, continued to worsen on Saturday, forcing airlines to cancel flights at several airports and schools to close.          The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said the number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan has continued to increase despite the government's efforts to intensify emergency operations.          "Although, we have launched emergency operations, hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan are continuing to spread, reaching 1,887 points," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a press statement in Jakarta on Saturday.          Some 1,887 hotspots were detected by the Terra and Aqua Satellite on Friday at 5 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB). It reported 575 hotspots in Sumatra and 1,312 in Kalimantan.          In Sumatra, the hotspots were mostly detected in South Sumatra Province with 449 points, Jambi Province 93 points, Bangka Belitung Province 49 and Riau Province 11. In Kalimantan, a total of 1,312 hotspots were detected, namely 508 in West Kalimantan, 127 in South Kalimantan, 579 in Central Kalimantan, 95 in East Kalimantan and four in North Kalimantan.

JAMBI RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF CHOKING HAZE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 5 (Antara) - Residents of Sumatra's Jambi Province have over the past few days complained of forest fire-triggered  haze that reduced visibility to 300 meters and forced Jambi airport to shut down.         "Jambi is floating on smokes," Andi Amirullah, a resident of Muaro Bungo District, said on his Facebook wall on Friday. Using face masks, Amirullah advised his colleagues to postpone any planned visit to Jambi as local people are now forced to use face masks to avoid being choked.          Antara Correspondent Azhari reported on Thursday choking haze blanketed Jambi City. Schools were ordered to close, yet locals still seemed to be doing activities normally.          Traffic in Jambi City was also still normal despite limited visibility.     However, Jambi's Sultan Thaha Syaifudin Airport continued to remain shut on Friday as thick smoke blanketed the province.          By Friday evening, 12 flights from the airport were cancelled due to the smoke, the airport's Operations Chief, Parolan Simanjuntak, said.

HAZE RESURFACES ACROSS KALIMANTAN, SUMATRA

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Nov 4 (Antara) - Haze emanating from forest fires and hotspots continues to shroud various parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra, hindering the day-to-day activities of the local residents and flight schedules.          On Tuesday, thick smog blanketed Syamsudin Noor Airport of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, leading to delays of five flights to Balikpapan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.          "Five flights were delayed for about 30 minutes to an hour from their scheduled departure time," Airport Service Section Head of PT Angkasa Pura I airport operator Heru Widiatmo stated in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Tuesday.          The haze also covered regions in Jambi and South Sumatra and disrupted flights from Palembang on Monday.          According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the smoke arising from hotspots still engulfed various regions in Indonesia, such as South Sumatra and Kalimantan.          Based on satellite data on Monday, South Sumatra still had 37 hotspots, Central Kalimantan (125), South Kalimantan (29), and East Kalimantan (20).          "It seems that the annual land and forest fires have not yet served as a lesson for the people to fully prevent the disaster," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head of the Information Center and Public Relations of BNPB, affirmed on Monday.

INDONESIAN HAZE BEGINS ESCALATING TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 16 (Antara) - At least eight provinces in Indonesia currently have an increasing number of hotspots producing smoke from forest and land fires, causing disturbance to neighboring countries.          "Hotspots detected by MODIS satellite in the provinces of Central, West, and South Kalimantan; South Sumatra; Riau; Bangka-Belitung; Jambi; and Lampung have been predicted to increase further," Information Data Center and Public Relations Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho reported in Jakarta on Monday.          Haze produced by land and forest fires in Sumatra, particularly Riau and South Sumatra provinces, is blown by the winds to Singapore and some parts of Malaysia, polluting the atmosphere of the neighboring countries.          "In Sumatra, the winds have been blowing in the north and northeast directions. Smoke from South Sumatra has spread to Riau Province. Smoke from Riau and South Sumatra has blown even to Singapore, so that the Pollution Standards Index in Singapore and some parts of Malaysia have increased to a moderate level," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Antara.

PARTICIPATORY APPROACH NEEDED TO OVERCOME HAZE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (Antara) - Indonesia needs to take a participatory approach where the central government, local administrations, non-governmental organizations, research institutions and the local people work together to resolve the annual haze problem, which often disturbed neighboring countries.          "In addition to a participatory approach, there should also be a political approach and scientific research on how to handle it," Asmin Amin, a member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) on environment Affairs, said recently.           Moreover, Indonesia has not yet ratified the ASEAN agreement on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution, which will allow neighboring countries to provide assistance in resolving the haze problem in Indonesia.          According to Indonesian Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Singapore and Malaysia are ready to assist if they are needed. "They said they are ready to assist if they are needed," the minister added after a meeting with Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday.          However, he asserted that the House of Representatives (DPR) had not ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution because the House was now in a transitional period.

MINISTER WARNS ABOUT PROTRACTED HAZE IN RIAU PROVINCE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 6 (Antara) - Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan has warned Riau Province's local authorities about the possibility of protracted haze in the current dry season, as it could pose a danger to people's health and the economy.          The haze problem in Riau has caused the death of a victim, while smoke still continues to blanket parts of the province, while the dry season is expected to peak in June and July.          At least four flights were delayed on Thursday due to thick haze that still shrouded Sultan Syarif Kasim II (SSK II) airport. Visibility had dropped to a dangerous level for an airplane.          According to SSK II airport authority, four flights that were scheduled to arrive had to be rerouted to Batam's Hang Nadim Airport. "We averted four flights as visibility this morning dropped to a dangerous level of only 500 meters," SSK II Duty Manager Hasnan said on Thursday.          The haze that disturbed flights and people's activities has been occurring for several weeks.          Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan asked the local government on Wednesday to be serious in handling the smoke problem and try to prevent the repetition of last year's incident, when the President had to offer an apology to neighboring countries for the smog from Riau.

HAZE REMAINS PROBLEM FOR ASEAN LEADERS TO SOLVE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 10 (Antara) - While some parts of Kalimantan were shrouded by haze as a result of forest fires, leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei Darussalam on Wednesday agreed on a haze monitoring system.          Haze has posed a headache to the members of the regional association due to the annual transboundary smog problems over the last 10 years.          As an ASEAN member, which has vast forest areas, Indonesia has been blamed for exporting smoke to its neighbours as a result of forest fires, both due to natural causes and by slash-and-burn practices by nomadic farmers or by large companies opening oil palm plantations.          According to the Ministry of Forestry, about 90 percent of the forest fires are caused by humans or negligence, while the remaining 10 percent occur due to natural causes such as strikes by lightning.          In the last ten years, Indonesia has about 144 million hectares of forest cover but it has declined significantly today. About 77.8 million hectares are designed as production forests, yet some 48 million hectares of the production forests are being neglected.          According to shnews.co online media, Kalimantan, home to one of the country's largest areas of forests, had 300,525 square kilometres (sq km) of forests in 2000; now it has lost some 14,212 sq km.

MALAYSIAN FIRMS SUSPECTED TO HAVE SENT HAZE HOME

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 23 (Antara) - Tens of companies have allegedly practiced slash-and-burns to open plantations in Sumatra's Riau, causing forest fires that send blankets of smoke not only to the province itself but also to neighboring countries, Singapore and Malaysia.          It was reported on Saturday that a joint team from the ministry of environment and other relevant ministries had found at least 20 domestic and foreign companies which were suspected to have caused land and forest fires.          Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya in Riau on Saturday made statements twice when he earlier announced that there were 14 companies (one believed to belong to Malaysian firm), allegedly involved in the burning of land and bushes.      He stated later, based on field checks, there were 8 Malaysian companies which were strongly believed to have contributed to the forest fires which caused Riau province, Singapore and Malaysia to be shrouded with haze. The eight Malaysian firms are not included in the 14 reported earlier.         "There are eight Malaysian oil palm companies which are strongly suspected to be behind the forest fires. We are still collecting data in the field to ascertain the suspicion," Balthasar told a press conference on Saturday.

HAZE BEGINS SHROUDING SOME PARTS OF SUMATRA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 20 (ANTARA) - Even though some parts of the country are still showered by rains, haze has begun blanketing some parts of Sumatra on Wednesday, particularly Riau and Riau Islands provinces. Yet no significant disturbance has been recorded.          Only Dumai airport was temporarily closed  on Wednesday while other transportation systems such land and shipping still proceeded normally.          "We have not yet issued any policy to postpone or cancel the departure of passenger ships because the haze has not yet posed a threat to shipping," Tanjung Balai Karimun Seaport Administrator Gajah Rooseno said here on Wednesday.          However, Pinang Kampai airport of Riau province, was temporarily closed as visibility was only about 500 meters. Head of Pinang Kampai airport Ackwin said visibility on the air was only about 500 meters. The visibility was beyond the normal conditions so that the airport was temporarily closed for reasons of flight safety.          "We have postponed one flight to Jakarta this morning," Ackwin said.          Haze which originates from land fires in several parts of Riau province was relatively thick but it did not seriously disturb visibility while some motorists have begun to turn on their headlights.          Motorist Tajuddin (31) said he was surprised to see the haze that began shrouding the city as he left his home Tuesday morning.  "I heard the news from the media that land fires have been taking place since several days ago," he said.          Compared with that last year, this year's haze seemed to happen rarely as Tuesday's haze was the first to happen in October this year.  "This is the first haze to happen in Pekanbaru this October," he said.          Airport Duty Manager Sultan Syarif Kasim (SSK) II Pekanbaru, Ibnu Hasan, said that haze began shrouding Pekanbaru Tuesday morning. "But so far the haze has not yet significantly disturbed visibility," Hasan said.          "This morning two airplanes, namely Garuda and Lion Air departed from the airport at about 7.0 am," he said.          He said that at present the visibility was still about 10,000 meters at the airport which was safe for flights.          The thick haze of forest and bush fires also blanketed the sky of Batam Island in Riau Islands Province.  The smoke also blanketed the sky above the areas near Batam, such as that of the islands of Rempang and Galang.          The haze was likely caused by the forest fires, and slash and burns on certain parts of the Sumatra Island, Agus Salim Lacuda said.  Despite the cloudy sky as a result of the haze, flights were not yet hampered due to clear enough visibility, he said.          "The pilots' visibility from Wednesday morning to mid day remains at six thousand meters. So this is still good for airplanes," said Lacuda, head of the Hang Nadim International Airport's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics office.          However, in Dumai, visibility at the airport was disturbed on Wednesday. As a result of thick haze shrouding the area, authorities at 7 a.m temporarily closed Pinang Kampai airport of Riau province, on Wednesday.           Head of Pinang Kampai airport Ackwin said visibility on the air was only about 500 meters. The visibility was beyond the normal conditions so that the airport was temporarily closed for reasons of flight safety.           "We have postponed one flight to Jakarta this morning," Ackwin said.          He said that the weather condition was basically good but the haze was relatively thick that disturbed visibility. "We have also confirmation on the postponement of the departure of a helicopter from Pekanbaru (Riau capital city) to Dumai until the visibility could reach over 1,000 meters," he said.          It was informed that the helicopter would depart from Pekanbaru to monitor forest fires in Dumai, Bengkalis and Rokan Hilir districts.          Images of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) satellite showed increasing number of hot spots in Dumai city, reaching 18 in different sub-districts.          On Tuesday,the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) satellite has detected 202 hot spots on Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Tuesday. The Pekanbaru-based Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's analyst, Slamet Riyadi, said that most of the hot spots were found in South Sumatra Province with 66 hot spots.          The remaining hot spots were detected in the provinces of Jambi, Riau, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Aceh, and Lampung with 42, 36, 24, 16, 13, 3 and 2 hot spots respectively, he said. On Monday, the imagery data released by NOAA satellite showed 358 hot spots throughout the island. But the number decreased to 202 thanks to rainfalls in some provinces, he said.          The presence of hot spots in Riau and other provinces in Sumatra Island was one of the indications of forest and bush fires,     In extinguishing the forest and bush fire, the Riau provincial government was recommended to make artificial rain to halt the spread of fire, he said.          "We are going to ask the central government (through forestry ministry) to provide us with funds for making artificial rain," he said.          However, shipping activities, haze that covered areas over Karimun waters, Riu Islands, has not yet disturbed shipping activities at domestic and international port of Tanjung Balai Karimun, on Wednesday.          "We have not yet issued any policy to postpone or cancel the departure of passenger ships because the haze has not yet posed a threat to shipping," Tanjung Balai Karimun Port Administrator Gajah Rooseno said.          Gajah Rooseno said that skippers still had enough visibility in the sea and they still could use naked eyes for a distance of about 1.5 km. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has not yet issued a special warning with regard to the haze that began to blanket certain areas in Riau province.          The haze was not coupled with bad weather such as strong winds that could trigger huge waves so that all directions of the shipping lines such as those towards Tanjungpinang and Singapore were still safe to sail.  Based on the law, skippers should pay attention to haze conditions at sea in an effort to avoid collision with other ships.          "Alertness can be carried out through various navigational symbols such as sounding the gong and trumpet so that the existence of a ship could be learned by other ships," Rooseno said.          Besides, skippers should also optimize the use of radars and grand positioning system (GPS) to monitor passing ships.          Shipping activities remained normal on Wednesday, for example, KM Ocean Indoma sailed towards Kukup, Johor, Malaysia based on schedules.     ***3*** (T.A014/a/H-NG/a014)20-10-2010 18:55

HAZE STILL HAMPERING FLIGHTS IN KALIMANTAN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 10 (ANTARA) - Haze that has blanketed at least three airports in West and Central Kalimantan provinces has been disturbing flight activities to and from the regions in the past few days.

        Pontianak's Supadio airport of West Kalimantan was closed for one hour on Thursday while Beringin airport of Muara Teweh of Central Kalimantan still remained quiet from flight activities.

        Tjilik Riwut airport of Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan), after being closed for five days has, however, reopened but some airlines had not yet served the route to the airport until Thursday.

        "We hope our plane will begin landing again at Tjilik Riwut tomorrow (Sept. 11) because the airport has begun to be clear of haze and it has been reopened," General Manager for Garuda Indonesia for Palangkaraya Agus Dewanta said in Palangkaraya on Thursday.

        In the meantime, flight activities at Beringin airport in North Barito District, Central Kalimantan, have not yet resumed. The haze was still thick. Flights to this airport have been stopped in the past five days.

        "Flights activities at Beringin airport are still completely stopped because thick haze still blanketed this region," Muara Teweh airport official Sidik said on Thursday.

        Due to the haze in Central Kalimantan, airport authorities closed Tjilik Riwut airport of Palangkaraya on Tuesday for all flights.

        Head of the airport, Jamaluddin Hasibuan said the visibility at the runways reached only about 400 meters which was considerably worse than the minimum of 1,600 meters. The runways cannot be used at all," Hasibuan said.

        He said that due to the thick haze, his side closed the airport and banned all flights from landing and taking off at the airport.

        As the result of the closure, five airlines canceled 14 of their flights at the airport on Tuesday. The canceled regular flights were those of Batavia Air over the Jakarta-Palangkaraya-Jakarta route and the Surabaya-Palangkaraya-Surabaya route, of Sriwijaya for the Jakarta-Palangkaraya-Jakarta route, and Garuda for Jakarta-Palangkaraya-Jakarta route.

        Local flights which were canceled included those of Susi Air for the Palangkaraya-Murara Teweh-Palangkaraya route and Aviastar for the Palangkaraya-Buntok-Palangkaraya and Palangkaraya-Muara Teweh-Palangkaraya routes.

        "Sriwijaya passengers had been diverted to Syamsuddin Noor airport in South Kalimantan," Hasibuan said on Tuesday.

        However, Garuda Indonesia will begin its flight on Friday and serve the Jakarta- Palangkaraya-Jakarta route again after canceling its flights for five days.

        "We hope our plane will be landing again beginning tomorrow. After all the haze is declining and the airport has been reopened again," Agus Dewanta said on Thursday.

        Agus said that his airlines diverted its flight operations to Syamsuddin Noor airport in South Kalimantan, about 180 km east of Palangkaraya. The passengers were transported free of charge with buses from Banjarbaru in South Kalimantan to Palangkaraya or vice versa.

        The diversion of transportation by land of passengers was done because Garuda had no other choices as the condition of Tjilik Riwut airport in the past several days was bad for flights. "We see now that airport condition has begun to be conducive where the airport has begun to be clear of haze so that we would resume flight activities at the airport tomorrow," Agus Dewanta said.

        If Tjilik Riwut airport has been reopened, flights activities at Beringin airport of Murara Teweh were still stopped. Visibility up to Thursday was still at a range between 500 and 800 meters.

        "We hope a strong wind will clear the airport tomorrow. The haze actually was brought in by the wind from the south," airport administrator of Beringin in Muara Teweh, Sidik, said.

        He said that the thick haze had canceled flights over the past five days. "The activities are still completely stopped today," he said.

        He said that virtually, the airport was not closed but due to the haze flights from Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan) and Palangkaraya were canceled.

        In the meantime, flights were also canceled at West Kalimantan airport of Supadio on Thursday because the airport was closed for at least one hour due to haze. That was the second closure in two days.

        With visibility reduced to only 400 meters by haze, Pontianak's Supadio airport was closed from 6 am to 7 am on Thursday.

        "Earlier today, we had to close the airport for one hour because visibility in the morning was just 400 meters, while normal visibility is around 800 meters," Syarif Usmulyani, head of the local chapter of PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II's traffic service, said.

        He regretted that the local authorities did not immediately anticipate the emergence of haze coming from forest fires in Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan) and Ketapang District.

        However, he considered today's condition was better than the previous day when visibility was just 300-400 meters, forcing the airport's closure for several hours.

        He said that even though Supadio was already equipped with good devices such as visual only direction (VOD), distance measuring equipment (DME) and instrument landing system (ILS), airplanes remained unable to land due to the range of visibility which was below the normal level.***3*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:30/H-YH)

        (T.A014/A/A014/A/H-YH) 10-09-2009 21:58:04