Toxic haze covering Southeast Asian cities sparks student protests in Indonesia: If we burn, you burn with us!

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Thousands of students across Indonesia have protested for days over the government’s response to toxic haze that has blanketed multiple cities and spread across Southeast Asia in recent weeks.On Friday, more than 500 protesters gathered outside the Central Kalimantan Governor’s Office in the provincial capital of Palangkaraya, demanding solutions to the haze.Some held signs that read “haze emergency” and “If we burn, you burn with us!”Protests spread to more than half a dozen Indonesian cities this week, including on the island of Borneo, where many of the fires are burning.Indonesia’s haze is primarily caused by forest and peatland fires, often started to clear land for farming.

While such fires are common during dry season, which usually begins in April, this year’s are the worst on record.The haze has triggered health concerns and ignited public backlash from Singapore, Malaysia and others in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.Student and civil society groups have demanded stronger action on the haze for months.Some called for Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to declare a national emergency and take more aggressive steps to prevent the agricultural practices blamed for fueling the blazes.Some student-led protests have merged with ongoing demonstrations over Indonesia’s struggling economy.“In Indonesia, we’re so angry,” said Vincent Thomas, a student at Indonesia’s Universitas Padjadjaran, who joined protests in Bandung.

“We want the officials responsible to be held accountable.”Many demonstrators on Friday wore thick masks to protect themselves from the air pollution blanketing Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan, which was tinged orange by the haze.Volunteer firefighters extinguishing blazes around Palangkaraya told The Associated Press that they hoped that rain would come soon.More than 333,470 residents have suffered acute respiratory illnesses across the seven provinces affected by the haze si...