Indonesia deploys aircraft, soldiers to fight forest fire

The Indonesian government has launched a large air operation, involving helicopters, planes and thousands of soldiers, to fight forest fire that has spread haze to Singapore and Malaysia.

As many as 21 helicopters and planes capable of carrying water bombing or creating artificial rains have been dispatched to the scene on Sumatra and Borneo islands, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency said on Monday.

Soldiers, police and officials from the disaster agency have been dispatched to the operation, he said.

"This is the biggest operation in fighting to extinguish forest fire since 2014," Sutopo told Xinhua via phone.

However, dry weather, wide territory and shortage of water have hampered the operation, he said.

To enforce law, the police also deployed more than 750 investigators to the scene, he said.

The haze has threatened people's health as the air quality in the fire's areas has been worsened, Sutopo said.

Separately, Indonesian Minister for Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said on Monday that as many as 266 firms has been under investigation for their involvement in the forest fires, and stern actions would be taken against them, including suspension of business permit.

The government has frozen and revoked four plantation firms over the forest fires.

President Joko Widodo has ordered to conduct operation for re- wetting of peat land to stop the fires into the soil.

Companies would be required to build ponds at peat land areas to supply water needed when fires occur.

Indonesia has been battered by such forest fires since the 1990s, as the ensuing haze shrouded neighboring ASEAN countries and caused losses of billions of U.S. dollars. Endi