Malaysia to still get Indonesian maids, but not as live-ins after 2017

Indonesia will continue to send housemaids to Malaysia after 2017 but employed by agencies which will house them and contract them to work in households under a new proposal from Jakarta to prevent abuse.

The Indonesian Embassy labour attache in Kuala Lumpur, Agus Triyanto, told The Malaysian Insider that the move was in line with the Indonesian Domestic Worker Roadmap 2017.

“This will mean the maids will live outside the employer's house. They will only do housework and nothing else.

“We want to put a halt to 'live-in' maids and introduce a 'live-out' system to protect our people against abuse from employers,” Agus said, clarifying reports that Indonesia will no longer send maids to Malaysia after 2017.

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DOE asks Indonesia to douse forest fires

The Air Pollutant Index reading in Putrajaya was 91 at noon yesterday. The haze reduced visibility amid high temperatures

DOE asks Indonesia to douse forest fires

Indonesia has been urged to take immediate action to prevent and put out the forest fires in central Sumatra which have brought the haze back to Malaysia.

Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan sent a letter to her Indonesian counterpart on Monday to express Malaysia's concern over the sudden spike in hot spots in central Sumatra.

"The marked increase in hot spots has occurred since Sunday.

"We are now experiencing the westerly monsoon season during which winds blowing from the hot spots in central Sumatra cause a haze in the central and southern parts of the west coast of the peninsula," she said in a statement yesterday.

The westerly monsoon, which causes the hot and dry spell, is expected to end in early October.

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Haze levels improves in KL but Perak API rising

Changing winds have caused the air pollutant index (API) levels to drop in the Klang Valley as Seri Manjung in Perak bears the brunt of the smoke from Sumatra, Indonesia.

Seri Manjung now has an unhealthy API reading of 118, the highest in the country.

However, the API as at 8am recorded several spots with readings close to 100, an unhealthy reading.

Residents in Port Klang (91), Kuala Selangor (86), Shah Alam (85), Ipoh (91), Tanjung Malim (86), Kuala Terengganu (87) and Bukit Rambai (94) will have to endure the haze as dry weather conditions are expected to last a few more days.

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Haze is back with Riau hot spots

Bukit Rambai in Malacca and Cheras in KL record unhealthy air quality

KUALA LUMPUR: A MONTH of respite is all we get. A drastic increase in the number of fires in Sumatra is bringing the haze back to the peninsula.

Already, satellite imagery has shown that smoke and ash from the hot spots in Sumatra are drifting to the west coast of the peninsula.

A statement from the Department of Environment (DoE) said the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre, using satellite data downloaded from the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, revealed there were 159 hot spots in central Sumatra on Saturday, a huge jump from the 43 recorded the previous day.

"(The winds) are carrying smoke from the hot spots in central Sumatra, in particular Riau province, to the central region of the west coast of the peninsula."


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MMEA keeping close watch on attempts by four escaped Indonesian terror suspects crossing to Malaysia

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is keeping a close watch on any attempts by four escaped Indonesian terror suspects to cross over into Malaysia's borders.

Agency director Maritime Admiral Datuk Mond Amdan Kurish said they have already begun more stringent checks on vessels crossing into Malaysian waters.

"We are fully aware of it, and we are keeping tabs on any suspicious movement from the other side," he said at a press conference at the agency's headquarters here Wednesday.

About a week ago, four terror suspects were among 200 people who broke out of a prison in the city of Medan on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The prison break happened during a riot, which local authorities said was sparked by dissatisfaction among prisoners over a power outage and frequent disruptions to water supply.

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5 nations meet on haze

A soldier trying to put out a fire in an oil palm plantation in Paman Jaya, Indonesia.


They seek end to annual problem

KUALA LUMPUR: ENVIRONMENT ministers and officials from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand will gather here today to push for a solution to the haze problem that has plagued the region for more than a decade.

The 15th meeting of the sub-regional ministerial steering committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution, scheduled for August, was brought forward this month after haze from forest fires in Sumatra and Riau blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore recently.

The severity of the latest incident, which forced Malaysia to close down schools and declare a state of emergency in Muar and Ledang, Johor, has brought a renewed urgency for the countries involved to end the problem once and for all.

Central to these discussions will be Indonesia's willingness to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which recognises haze resulting from land or forest fires as a regional issue to be dealt with through concerted national efforts and international cooperation.

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Jakarta moves to ratify Asean haze pact

Indonesia's government has begun preparations to ratify a regional agreement on combating the haze, Environment Minister Dr Balthasar Kambuaya said.

Balthasar told reporters at the 2013 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution yesterday that the documents for ratification had been cleared by the Law Ministry, reported the Straits Times in Singapore.

The next step is for the State Secretariat to get an agreement from affected ministries, before taking it to Parliament. "We hope it will be completed this year," said Balthasar.

"It is important for us to ratify it, as a nation that's affected (by haze) and concerned with the well-being of others. And if there are things we need to do together, we should."

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Strong quake strikes Banda Acheh, dozens injured

Dozens of people have been injured after a 6.2-magnitude quake jolted Aceh Province in the northern tip of Sumatra Island of Indonesia today, said local officials.

"There are dozens of people wounded here," Fauzi, head of local disaster management and mitigation agency in Benermeriah of Aceh Province, told China's Xinhua news agency via telephone from Benermeriah.

The quake struck at 14:37 p.m. Jakarta time (0737 GMT) with epicenter at 35 km southwest Benermeriah district of the province and with a depth of 10 km, Subagio, an official of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency told Xinhua by phone.

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Cost of hiring Indonesian maids upped to RM8,000, Govt announces

The Government has announced it will now cost RM8,000 to hire an Indonesian domestic helper.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who chaired the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Worker and Illegal Immigrants, said that the new rate was decided after considering all costs incurred in both countries.

"The RM8,000 was decided after considering the training cost of at least 200 hours, travel documentation, food and accommodation before being transferred to new employers, traveling costs, medical check-ups as well as payment to the respective governmental agencies from both countries," he said in Parliament on Monday.

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Schools should close when API touches 200, says Palanivel

Malaysian schools should shut down when the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading touches 200, rather than the current 300 level, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said today.

The minister said he has made the suggestion to the Cabinet yesterday to order for schools to be closed when the API reading touches 200.

This was to avoid threatening the health of students and teachers as an API of 200 indicated that the air level was already unhealthy, he was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama today.

He told this to reporters after visiting the fire prevention and peat soil management project at Kampung Pulau Kempas, Mukim Tanjung 12 in Kuala Langat today.

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Met dept forecasts rain for the next few days

The Meteorological Department has forecast rain for several areas in Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Selangor in the next few days.

The department also forecast a few evening downpours in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.

In a statement here on Thursday, it said Malaysia is still experiencing the South-West Monsoon which is expected to go on until September.

The rainfall would be due to changing wind directions between 10 and 20 kilometres an hour from west to south west.

Whereas, the interiors of the Peninsular including Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are expected to experience thunderstorms in the evening and night.

According to the statement, Sabah could expect fair weather in the mornings while a few thunderstorms are forecast in the interior areas and Sandakan.

Fair weather has been forecast for the whole of Sarawak except for Miri and Limbang, which may experience thunderstorms in the evening. -

HAZE UPDATE: Brighter skies in Penang, API at 60

Penangites woke up to bright skies after the Air Pollution Index (API) numbers were halved from yesterday's unhealthy levels, after bouts of overnight rain.

Checks with the Meteorological Department website showed the API on the island is at 60, while mainland Prai recorded a 57, as at 9am.

Yesterday, Penang recorded unhealthy air quality levels ranging from 121 to 130, with visibility reduced at to almost a kilometre.

Activities in Penang are back to normal with the improved visibility and API halved to 60 as at 9am.



Its business as usual in Penang as the haze situation improves and the visibility returns to normal. Penang recorded a moderate Air Pollutant Index reading of 62 as at early this morning.

Haze: Selangor MB proposes Indonesian farmers carry out burning during rainy season

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has proposed that Indonesian farmers carry out their burning during the rainy season.

Calling it a short-term compromise, Khalid said this would prevent the air from becoming overly polluted.

"Of course it would be ideal to have zero burning. But the poorer farmers have to do this (burn) to fertilise the land.

“They don't have money to buy fertiliser, unless we want to give it to them," he told reporters after giving out prizes at the Selangor Invitational Golf Tournament on Tuesday.

Khalid said it was not possible to stop the culture of a community over a short period of time.

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'Bring the culprits to book' those responsible for haze in Indonesia

An Indonesian villager standing on an oil well as fire burns an oil palm plantation in the haze-hit Bangko Pusako district in Rokan Hilir, Riau province


Indonesia told to enforce laws on Malaysian firms based there if they are found guilty of open burning

PUTRAJAYA: THE ongoing haze has prompted Malaysia and Singapore to push for the 15th sub-regional ministerial steering committee meeting on transboundary haze pollution to be brought forward from Aug 20 to next week.

The Malaysian government has also called on Indonesia to enforce laws on Malaysian companies based there if they were found guilty of open burning.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said Malaysia could not penalise the companies as the offence was committed in another country.

However, he said the government supported Indonesia's move to investigate and prosecute them.

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Today Pic - Haze , Satellite show Haze, Graphic API and Indonesia Fire source

The view of Putra Perdana on a hazy night.



The scene in Port Klang this morning when the pollution index was 319. Earlier in the morning it was 487.


The latest API status from the DOE shows Port Klang with the highest reading of 484


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Yudhoyono apologises to Malaysia and Singapore on haze

Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yud hoyono has apologised to Malaysia and Singapore over the haze emanating from forest and peatland fires in Sumatra, which has affected air quality in the two countries.

"As the president, I apologise for what has happened and hope for understanding from our friends in Singapore and Malaysia," he told a news conference at the president's office here Monday evening.

"For sure, what has taken place is not on purpose," he said.

Yudhoyono said at the moment, the areas affected by fires in Jambi, Bengkulu, and Riau had been declared as districts under disaster emergency and the central government had deployed maximum manpower to fight the calamity.

He said Indonesia was fully responsible for overcoming the problem and was confident that this would be done soon.

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Haze: DOE offers hourly API readings

The Air Pollutant Index (API) readings will now be updated on an hourly basis.

The Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan said the readings will be available at the Natural Resources and Environment website and will be made available on the DOE portal soon.

"We are giving it out every hour due to the public's request," she said.

The updates can be viewed at DOE department


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Haze: Schools close in Manjung district as air quality turns hazardous

Schools in the Manjung district in Perak have closed due to the worsening air quality.

A SMJK Nan Hwa teacher, who declined to named, said schools in the district have been instructed by the district Education Department to close until further notice. .

"All schools will also be closed tomorrow (Wednesday)," she said.

The Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at 9am at Seri Manjung was 322, well into the hazardous zone.

Air quality in Perak started deteriorating in Perak as the haze drifted north.

Perak Education, Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Dr Muhammad Amin Zakaria said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir was considering closing public premises.

"Normally, if the API exceeds 300, we will have to close public premises.

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PIX GALLERY: Haze update

Putrajaya's Air Pollutant Index (API) was recorded at the unhealthy level (156) at 5 pm, today.



From Jelutong, George Town, the Penang bridge can still be seen even though the haze is starting to fog the state. The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Penang was recorded at 70 at 7 am this morning.


The haze condition in Johor Baru has improved when this picture was taken at 11.30 am this morning.



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Sime Darby and 2 other companies rebut haze claims

Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), and Sime Darby -- have issued rebuttals after being named by Indonesia's Senior Presidential Aide Kuntoro Mangkusubroto as being among several responsible for fire hotspots in Riau Province.

In a statement released to the media, Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) said Indonesia's accusation requires verification.

"They do not correspond with intensive monitoring on-the-ground conducted by APRIL in its own concessions over the past several weeks nor with information on Friday from Indonesia's official national body for Meteorology, Climate and Geophysiccs, which identified 13 hotspots in Riau, none of which are on APRIL's concessions," APRIL said in a statement.

The company said the Director General of the Ministry of Forestry, Bambang Hendroyono, had confirmed Friday the fires causing the haze were mostly occurring on community land, not forestry concessions.

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