Indonesian hotspots flare, haze thickens

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — More than 400 fires have been recorded burning in Indonesia's Riau province so far in June, a huge increase from the same time last year, officials said Tuesday.

Smoke from the fires is causing haze that is drifting across neighbouring Malaysia, where authorities said Sunday air quality and visibility in some areas had fallen from "good" to "moderate" over the previous week.

Most of the illegal fires were the result of land and forest clearing for traditional farming and palm oil plantations, forestry ministry official Israr Albar said.

"The number of hotspots may increase two to three-fold this month. The farmers are clearing land for cultivation in more areas," he said.

"Land cleared by local residents accounted for 65 to 70 percent of the fires." Read More at AFP