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Wildfires, haze threaten Southeast Asia

Source
Associated Press - April 9, 1998

Jakarta – Indonesia's wildfires are being blamed for endangering wildlife, forcing airports to close and costing already struggling Southeastern Asian industries millions of dollars.

Fires raging out of control on the island of Borneo have scorched an estimated 61,500 acres of timber-rich forests in the drought-striken region. The official Antara News Agency said the fires have already caused a total loss of about $400 million.

The fires destroyed the island's rehabilitation center for orangutans and threatens, to the point of extinction, wildlife such as birds, crocodiles and a rare type of butterfly found only on Borneo.

Choking smog has caused airports on Borneo and neighboring Brunei to close due to low visibility. Soot and debris kicked up into the atmosphere also has driven pollution levels into the danger zone.

In eastern Malaysia, schools have been shut since March 30 when the Air Pollution Index shot to a "hazardous" 620 level.

An API above 100 is considered "unhealthy," above 200 "very unhealthy," and above 300 "hazardous" to health.

The API in the town of Miri has hovered around 500 to 600 for the past three days, prompting the government to advise some 200,000 residents to wear masks when venturing outside.

Weather experts have predicted the haze will worsen when wind directions shift from monsoon rains. They say it could take months to douse the fires.

As fear intensifies, hundreds of haze-related websites have sprouted on the Internet, giving the public direct access to API's around the region.

News of the lingering haze mixed with the region's ongoing financial turmoil is expected to further hurt retail sales in Singapore, the Singapore Retailers Association said Thursday.

The group says retail sector, one of Singapore's largest industries, is expected to drop 30 percent over the next six months, compared to the same period last year.

Retailers can expect to have "enduring difficulties as the haze is likely to return and the regional markets have not yet recovered," said Teh Ban Lian, president of the association.

Tourism is also expected to fall by more than 10 percent this year because of the haze, Lian said. Last year, similar fires, many of them purposely set to clear land, produced a massive blanket of smoke over and threatened the health of millions in the region. Officials fear the problem could be worse this year if left unchecked.

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