1. ASEAN Environment Ministers met in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam on 4 April 1 998 and reviewed the progress of the ASEAN Regional Haze Action Plan to address the problem of smoke haze in the region caused by land and forest fires. The Ministerial Meeting was preceded by the Seventh Meeting of the ASOEN Haze Technical Task Force on 3 April 1998.

2. The Ministerial Meeting was attended by H.E. Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Indera Wijaya Pengiran Dr. Haji Ismail bin Pengiran Haji Damit, Minister of Development, Brunei Darussalam; H.E. Prof. Dr. Juwono Sudarsono, State Minister for the Environment, Indonesia; H.E. Dr. Ammone Singhavong, Ambassador of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to Brunei Darussalam; H.E. Datuk Law Hieng Ding, Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Malaysia; H.E. U Than Tun, Ambassador of Myanmar to Brunei Darussalam; H.E. Mr. Victor 0. Ramos, Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines; H.F-. Mr. Yeo Cheow Tong, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Health, Singapore; H.E. Mr. Maitri Chuladul, Ambassador of Thailand to Brunei Darussalam; H.E. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dien, Ambassador of Vietnam to Brunei Darussalam; and Dr. Filemon A. Uriarte, Jr, Director of Functional Cooperation Bureau of the ASEAN Secretariat and their respective delegations.

3 The one-day Meeting was chaired by H.E Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Indera Wijaya Pengiran Dr. Haji Ismail bin Pengiran Haji Damit, Minister of Development, Brunei Darussalam.

Regional Haze Action Plan (RHAP)

4 The Ministers reviewed ASEAN's progress in achieving the preventive measures, regional monitoring mechanisms, and fire-fighting capability objectives of the Regional Haze Action Plan (RHAP). In an effort to further strengthen the RHAP, an ASEAN Workshop on National Action Plans will be held at the end of April 1998 in Jakarta to review National Haze Action Plans of ASEAN Member Countries. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorlogical Centre (ASMC) has produced valuable new products and services benefiting the region's transboundary pollution assessment capabilities in the areas of seasonal climate forecasting, El-Nino prediction, intranet-posted NOAA and GMS satellite images, including smoke-haze maps, regional wind and experimental haze trajectory forecasts.

5. The Ministers reported that, to strengthen the region's human resource capacity in fire-fighting, Indonesia is laying down the framework of an ASEAN Research and Training Centre for Land and Forest Fire Management. The Research and Training Centre is to be established at the University of Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan and will directly respond to the need for trained and knowledgeable fire fighters in Indonesia and as a resource for ASEAN countries.

6. The Ministers recognised that the implementation of the Action Plan will have to address both the immediate and the long-term aspects. In this regard, the Plan must focus on the provision of adequate firefighting equipment, technology to be adopted, as well as the human resource requirements. Furthermore, strict enforcement has to be stepped up by relevant enforcement agencies and personnel at the local level. The public should also be encouraged to report any violations and at the same time appropriate incentives schemes should be introduced to discourage the clearing of land through burning.

Review of Current Situation

7. The Ministers had extensive discussions touching upon wide-ranging issues on the current fire situation in the region and exchanged a variety of information on a broad range of national activities. Indonesia and Malaysia are continuing their efforts in operationalising their Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Cooperation and Assistance. Brunei's firefighting efforts have been strengthened with the purchase of various forms of equipment, and the country has further reinforced legislation to counter open burning. Malaysiahas similarly bolstered its firefighting services with US$2.5 million for the procurement of a number of technical equipment, and has also initiated official dialogue with its plantation owners. Approximately 100km long firebreaks have been constructed by Indonesia and elsewhere. The Philippines also shared valuable information on their activities in fire-prone areas and their experience in providing monetary incentives that succeeded in preventing fires in their localities.

8. Further intensifying regional efforts, the Ministers launched an initiative to establish two Sub-Regional Firefighting Arrangements (SRFAs), namely for Kalimantan and for Sumatra/Riau provinces. The Ministers agreed that the priority of the SRFAs would be to ensure at all cost that fires are prevented from becoming an economic and environmental threat in Sumatra and Riau provinces, and that fires in East Kalimantan must be contained and not allowed to spread to Central and West Kalimantan. The SRFAs will incorporate mechanisms to rapidly activate and mobilise efforts to put out fires before they get out of control, and channel additional and complementary resources from the region and internationally. The Ministers agreed that a central revolving fund will be set up from both regional and international contributions.

International Assistance

9 The Ministers noted the linkage of the haze problem to the global environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, and conservation of biodiversity. In this context, the Ministers welcomed United Nation Environment Programme's (UNEP) efforts, and agreed that UNEP could continue to play a leading role in coordinating international assistance to combat and control regional fire and haze on behalf of ASEAN. These efforts coincide with the initiative of the UNEP to organise an international donors conference on transboundary pollution in the Southeast Asian region.

10. The Ministers noted the Letter of Agreement between ASEAN and ADB for the Regional Technical Assistance as confirmed by the Secretary-General of ASEAN on 5 March 1998. The project will focus on fire management policy and enforcement, operational monitoring mechanisms, and enhancing firefighting capability and other mitigation measures. The project is expected to be operational by April 1998 with team members under recruitment by the ADB

11. The Ministers welcomed the US offer of assistance under the Southeast Asia Environmental Initiative, and requested consideration of providing support to meet immediate needs for strengthening the firefighting capabilities in the areas currently affected by fire, apart from long-term monitoring of all sectors of the ASEAN community.

12. In all affected countries, the Ministers welcomed the increasing role of the private sector and Non-Government Organisations in national and local efforts to combat, prevent and mitigate fires. The Ministers felt that all worthy developments such as public education, awareness campaigns, and fund raising should be encouraged, as combating fires was the responsibility of all sectors of the ASEAN community.

13. The Ministers also witnessed a demonstration by the Erickson Air-Crane Company on the use of helicopters to fight land and forest fires, and considers this modality as having potential in combating South-east Asian fires.

Date and Venue of the Next Meeting

14. The next ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze would be head in mid-May 1998 in Jakarta.

15. The Ministerial Meeting was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity.