Venue changed

THE Indonesian government, confronted with the worsening haze conditions and raging forest fires in its largest provinces, made a last-minute change in the venue of the Asean Environment Ministers’ meeting.

Environment Minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said the haze problem had prompted him and other government colleagues to be “at their posts” in Jakarta instead of “being away” in Manado in North Sulawesi, where the three-day meeting was scheduled to be held originally.

He said that he was on call to tackle the problem and will meet various provincial governors, and plantation and forestry firms from the affected regions.

Officials attending the talks said that the change could have been due to the outbreak of fires in North Sulawesi.