Sack
Jakarta, Aug. 6, 2019 (dpa/NAN) Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, on Tuesday said he would sack military and police officials, who failed to stop forest fires that broke out in Sumatra and Borneo islands.
According to Indonesian authorities, it has deployed nearly 6,000 people, including soldiers and police so far to put out the fire.
“I have spoken to the military and police chiefs.
“I demand that those who can’t tackle forest fires be sacked.
“It’s the rule of the game and it’s that simple,’’ Widodo said.
Widodo, however, said he could not just sack governors and mayors because they were directly elected by the people.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in six provinces of Sumatra and part of Borneo, where fires have affected more than 30,000 hectares of forest.
Forest fires were an annual hazard in Indonesia and the resulting haze often affects neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, driving air pollution to hazardous levels.
A study by researchers from Harvard and Columbia Universities found that more than 100,000 people in South-East Asia might have died prematurely in 2015 as a result of forest fires in Indonesia.
At least 25 people were killed in the 2015 fires, which caused economic losses estimated at $16 billion. (dpa/NAN)
YI/AIB
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Edited by Yahaya Isah/Abdulfatah Babatunde