FILE PHOTO: Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reacts during a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, September 18, 2019. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng
Southeast Asia has suffered for years from dry-season bouts of smoke caused by fires, many in Indonesia, set to clear land, raising worries about health and the impact on tourism. Indonesia’s Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told Reuters last week that some of the fires in her country had been spotted on palm oil plantations operated by at least four subsidiaries of Malaysian companies.“But of course, if we find that they are unwilling to take action, we may have to pass a law which will make them responsible for fires in their property, even if its outside of Malaysia,” Mahathir told reporters.