While everyone has been focusing on the Amazon fires, Indonesia has been quietly doing its deliberate annual agricultural burning which has led to unhealthy levels of air quality all over Malaysia and Singapore. This annual environmental disaster dates back to 1972 and even has a name, the Southeast Asian Haze.

This is what Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia looks like right now because of these fires in Indonesia.​

This is what it's like breathing in the haze.

Even worse, Indonesia is flat-out denying they are the cause despite unequivocal satellite data proving that they are as can be seen here and here (Kalimantan and Sumatra are both in Indonesia). That satellite data is provided by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), of which Indonesia itself is a member.

The Global Fire Emissions Database reported that the 2015 Indonesian fires had generated around 600 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, an amount described as "roughly equivalent to Germany's entire annual output".  So these fires are detrimental to the entire planet, not just Indonesia's neighbouring countries.

According to an Indonesian newspaper, "Wildfires burned through 42,740 hectares of land from January to May, nearly double the figure in the same period last year of 23,745 hectares." So it's getting worse instead of better. 

This proves Indonesia is completely ignoring the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution they signed in 2014 to reduce haze pollution in Southeast Asia.  It also proves that Indonesia cannot be trusted to take action to prevent the fires and subsequent haze occurring within its own borders.

The culprits who start the fire have a profit-maximising objective, namely to clear the land in the cheapest way possible.  Burned land can be sold at a higher price illegally and eventually used for activities including palm oil.  Burning is also cheaper and faster compared to cutting and clearing using excavators or other machines, especially when the corrupt government turns a blind eye to illegal burning. 

It is time to #BoycottIndonesia until they permanently #StopTheFires and #EndTheHaze.

We need to make it more expensive for Indonesia to allow this illegal practice than to end it so that they actually do what it takes so that it never happens again.  Clearing land legally by using machines and chemicals can cost up to US$200 per hectare while using fire costs only US$5 per hectare.  So with this boycott we need the toll on the Indonesian economy to be so high that it brings the cost of using fire above US$200 per hectare in order to force the Indonesian government to take action and enforce their own laws and international agreements they signed and permanently prevent the fires from starting in the first place (and to immediately put them out if any do) so that the haze never happens again.

Please sign this petition to put pressure on Indonesia to end this once and for all.

Thank you.