Indonesia Commits to ASEAN Mechanisms for Forest Fire Response - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Indonesia consistently adheres to ASEAN mechanisms in responding to forest fires and their impacts, which spread to several countries in the region.
Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela stated that, as of August 26, 2026, ASEAN has declared a Level 3 Alert status regarding the haze situation in the region, requiring all member states to submit daily reports on the situation and response measures.
“Indonesia is fulfilling that obligation through daily reports and various measures detailed in accordance with the criteria for that alert level,” said Nabyl during a media briefing on Thursday, as quoted by ANTARA.
He explained that the report covers monitoring, assessments, and emergency measures taken, and also includes an attached map projecting the smoke trajectory.
The report states that Indonesia proactively provided data on hotspots, environmental conditions in affected areas, and smoke movement patterns. It also outlined the mitigation measures undertaken by Indonesia, including emergency response and intensive firefighting operations.
He said that the report was distributed to all focal points from each ASEAN country to help them determine anticipatory measures and manage the impact of the haze optimally.
Nabyl added that the ASEAN Secretariat is the body authorized to coordinate joint regional efforts to address the impact of forest and land fires.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang confirmed that Indonesia has not received any protest notes from neighboring countries in the region regarding the issue of forest and land fires and the resulting haze.
“We have not received any notes of protest from countries in the region or neighboring countries. To date, we have not received any,” he asserted.
According to SiPongi data from NASA’s Terra/Aqua, SNPP, and NOAA-20 satellites, as of Tuesday, September 15, at 9:05 p.m. local time, 1,037 high-confidence hotspots nationwide, which is a decrease of 400 from the previous day.
Haze resulting from forest and land fires in Indonesia has reportedly spread to the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, Singapore, Brunei, and as far as the Philippines, including the capital, Manila.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government deployed three helicopters to assist with forest firefighting operations in Indonesia from September 12 to 19, 2026. The Malaysian government has stated its readiness to send aid to Indonesia, but is still awaiting a response from Jakarta.
