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The forest fires unleashed in northern Indonesia cause a huge cloud of pollution throughout the region. With more than 300,000 hectares burned, these fires reach a scale never seen in four years.
In Malaysia, nearly 1,500 schools are closed and one million schoolchildren are deprived of classes because of the air quality, always in the red. Forest fires in Indonesia are spreading a toxic cloud throughout the region.
In Singapore, a veil of pollution covers the whole city. The government has launched its emergency plan, mobilized hospital services to accommodate a maximum number of patients, and renewed the stocks of filter masks.
On Tuesday, 17 September, Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Sumatra Island in one of the areas most affected by the fires. " We are doing everything possible to overcome it, " he said. Six thousand soldiers as well as air reinforcements are deployed to support the firefighters.
The police continue to hunt down arsonists. Two hundred people were arrested earlier this week. Farmers are accused each year of burning the forest to leave the field open to palm oil plantations.