Indonesia
Archipelago
A drone view shows the Ampera Bridge shrouded in haze from wildfires in Palembang, South Sumatra, August 23, 2026. (Reuters/Abriansyah Liberto)
Malaysia has offered to assist Indonesia in combating forest and land fires that have fueled the latest wave of transboundary haze, including by conducting cloud-seeding operations in Indonesian airspace, as worsening conditions put pressure on Jakarta to step up its response.The offer was unveiled on Monday after Malaysian Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup had a phone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Jumhur Hidayat, during which they discussed efforts to address forest fires as well as the transboundary haze blanketing the region.
Arthur said in a statement that Malaysia stood ready to provide assistance to Indonesia in extinguishing fires, adding that “should the Indonesian government make any specific request, the matter will be brought before the [Malaysian] cabinet for further consideration and a decision”.
