KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia declared a state of emergency Thursday
as the air pollution index soared to extremely hazardous levels on
the west coast, which has been worst-hit by smoke from fires in
Sumatra, an official said.
"We are now in a state of emergency," a National Security Council
official told AFP after the environment department said the air
pollution index had reached 529 in Port Klang and 531 in Kuala
Selangor.
The government said Wednesday that levels above 500 would trigger a
state of emergency.
The National Security Council official said that although only the
two west coast locations had exceeded 500, the emergency measures
would extend to the whole of the Klang valley in which the capital
Kuala Lumpur sits.
In Kuala Lumpur the pollution index reached 321 and the city was
shrouded in a yellowish mist that made the tops of buildings
disappear.
In the administrative capital of Putrajaya, which lies further
towards the coast, the index reached 364.
The opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) said Malaysians were
"furious and worried" about the pollution and that it would mount a
protest at the Indonesian embassy on Friday as well as a public
rally on Sunday.
"As the source of haze is in Sumatra, Malaysians are powerless to
do anything to fight this threat to their and our children's health
and safety unless Indonesia is serious about taking action," said
DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.
Lim said that recent apologies from Indonesian leaders were
meaningless unless they were followed up by concrete action to
douse the fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and prevent
them from recurring.
"Malaysians want an explanation why the Indonesian government
cannot stop the haze from becoming a tragic annual event," he
said.
But Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar indicated Malaysia would take
a softly-softly approach, in order not to damage the fragile
relationship with its neighbour.
"We have no other alternative, we cannot go into an open conflict,
that will not be good for the region. That will not be good in
terms of our relationship. So that is not the way that Malaysia
will adopt," he said at a press conference.
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Damn the Indons for poisoning the air yet AGAIN.
I say Punish the Indons......otherwise, they will soon be sending
Radio-active fallout once their Nuclear Station is
ready.......Singapore and malaysia should show the Indons we mean
business this time..........otherwise, they will continue to poison
us, year after year...... and meanwhile they say.....so
sorry.....maaf........forgive us....... while laughing behind our
backs !!!!!!
.
