BBC and Channel News Asia are reporting that a state of emergency has been declared in the capital Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, but as at the time of writing, all that we know is that there is an emergency meeting at the Prime Ministers department and nothing has been declared just yet. ------------------------ KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia declared a state of emergency Thursday as the air pollution index soared to extremely hazardous levels on the west coast, which has been worst-hit by smoke from fires in Sumatra, an official said. "We are now in a state of emergency," a National Security Council official told AFP after the environment department said the air pollution index had reached 529 in Port Klang and 531 in Kuala Selangor. The government said Wednesday that levels above 500 would trigger a state of emergency.
The National Security Council official said that although only the two west coast locations had exceeded 500, the emergency measures would extend to the whole of the Klang valley in which the capital Kuala Lumpur sits.
They will include closing schools, advising citizens to stay indoors or wear masks outside, and beginning rain-seeding in an effort to wash away the dust and smoke in the air. In Kuala Lumpur the pollution index reached 321 and the city was shrouded in a yellowish mist that made the tops of buildings disappear.
In the administrative capital of Putrajaya, which lies further towards the coast, the index reached 364.
The opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) said Malaysians were "furious and worried" about the pollution and that it would mount a protest at the Indonesian embassy on Friday as well as a public rally on Sunday.
"As the source of haze is in Sumatra, Malaysians are powerless to do anything to fight this threat to their and our children's health and safety unless Indonesia is serious about taking action," said DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.
Lim said that recent apologies from Indonesian leaders were meaningless unless they were followed up by concrete action to douse the fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and prevent them from recurring.
"Malaysians want an explanation why the Indonesian government cannot stop the haze from becoming a tragic annual event," he said.
But Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar indicated Malaysia would take a softly-softly approach, in order not to damage the fragile relationship with its neighbour.
"We cannot. In the interests of neighbourly relations, we must sit down and discuss and consult. This is the common interest," he said, adding that crisis talks between ministers from both sides would begin in Jakarta Friday.
"We have no other alternative, we cannot go into an open conflict, that will not be good for the region. That will not be good in terms of our relationship. So that is not the way that Malaysia will adopt," he said at a press conference.
Hundreds of schools in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding districts were ordered to close until Monday because of the worsening haze, which is causing a spike in asthma attacks and respiratory conditions.
Kuala Lumpur's second airport at Subang was closed late Wednesday as visibility sank to less than 300 metres and contingency plans have been made in case the country's main airport has to shut.
The Malacca Strait between Indonesia and Malaysia was badly affected, forcing a major port facility to suspend its operation Wednesday, although a slight easing in conditions allowed them to resume later that night, officials said.
Meteorology Department senior forecaster Kamil Ibrahim said the conditions were expected to persist for the next few days, but that there could be a brief respite next week as the winds coming from Sumatra shifted.
However, Indonesian officials warned that the blazes, caused by illegally using fire to clear land on Sumatra island and Kalimantan, would worsen in coming weeks.
Malaysians who experienced an even worse haze crisis in 1997 and 1998 were generally taking the situation in their stride, but many demanded that the government be more accountable.
"We're just wondering what's happening in terms of government to government arrangements," said 37-year-old businessman David Shan as he arrived in the city centre for a meeting.
"What our government is doing in terms of addressing the problems coming our of Sumatra - that's a big concern," he said. - AFP /ch
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