Haze: Coming Soon

The recent unwelcome visit by the haze in the region was another unpleasant reminder that the issue of transboundary haze is far from resolved. Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad reportedly said that the haze was caused by peat fires and open burning in several areas in the country, but that the haze was also happening in other ASEAN countries. The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution has been criticised for lacking enforcement mechanisms for dispute-resolution, and many have called for stronger national and regional legal instruments to protect the rights of Malaysians affected by the haze, but there seems to be little to no updates on this. We catch up with Heng Kiah Chun, a Regional Campaign Strategist with Greenpeace Southeast Asia, to discuss the fundamental root causes of the transboundary haze crisis which must be addressed, and for an update on the pioneering complaint filed at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) in 2021 - the first to combine environmental issues with human rights - by a broad alliance of civil-society organisations, as a proactive countermeasure to address the chronic and persistent haze pollution.

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