Environment ministry ‘not shutting door’ on transboundary haze law

 

A committee would be set up to look into measures that could be taken to resolve the transboundary haze problem.

PETALING JAYA: The natural resources, environment and climate change ministry says it is not shutting the door on a proposed law to tackle transboundary haze, a day after it decided against tabling a bill on the matter.

In a statement, the ministry said it was still gathering feedback from the relevant government agencies, the attorney-general’s chambers (AGC) and NGOs on short term and long-term measures to resolve the problem.

“In the search for a solution, a committee comprising departments under the ministry, experts, NGOs as well as advisers and consultants will be formed to look into this matter.”

Last night, environment minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Putrajaya had decided against a bill aimed at punishing Malaysians whose actions led to haze in the country, regardless of where the burning occurred.

The decision, he said, was made after consulting the AGC and legal experts on the difficulties involved in prosecuting suspects.

Nik Nazmi had said that to enforce the law there needed to be conclusive evidence that the haze originated from neighbouring countries.

Such evidence included data such as a location map, coordinates, the information on the land owners and the site they were operating on, he said, adding that in such instances it would involve the “secrecy, security and the sovereignty of a country”.

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