‘The officials are morons’: Haze that reached Malaysia now has Indonesian students protesting in central Kalimantan

In Palangkaraya, Indonesia, hundreds of students protested against the government's inadequate response to a persistent wildfire crisis that has enveloped the area in toxic haze.

Demonstrators, wearing masks, urged the declaration of a national emergency to enhance aid efforts, criticizing local officials for their inaction.

The widespread fires have affected more than 1.9 million hectares, with the resultant haze impacting health and extending to neighboring countries.

Despite diplomatic tensions and domestic unrest, the situation remains unresolved, with demonstrators calling for more decisive government intervention.

PALANGKARAYA (Indonesia), Oct 24 — Hundreds of students protested late Friday in Indonesia’s Palangkaraya, demanding the government do more to tackle a wildfire crisis that has shrouded their city and the wider region in toxic haze for months.

The students, many wearing surgical masks, gathered under an eerily orange sky with severely reduced visibility and waved banners urging authorities to declare a national emergency to free up more aid.

“The officials are morons, yet they get fantastic perks while the lives of the common people are tragic,” read one protest placard nailed to a wall outside the office of the governor of Central Kalimantan — an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo where the fires are taking place.

The demonstrators sang the Indonesia Pusaka patriotic song and engaged in light skirmishes with police.

No injuries or arrests were reported and as night fell, the protesters cleared up their trash before dispersing peacefully.

“We call upon the Central Kalimantan provincial government to state clearly that it is unable to mitigate this disaster, so that the situation may be officially designated a national disaster,” protest leader Yuyun Sanjaya told the crowd.

“How is it possible that such thick, dense smoke is being inhaled by helpless elderly people and newborn infants, and the government simply lets it happen?”

Wildfires have burned more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September, according to deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas — a figure the government has not confirmed or denied.

The resulting haze has sickened hundreds of thousands in Indonesia and reached as far as Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor.

Amid diplomatic objections from neighbouring countries, patience has also been running thin at home, with sporadic anti-government protests.

On Thursday, Indonesian school children prayed for rain on Java island, where fires have also ravaged several regencies and conservation areas. — AFP

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在印度尼西亚帕朗卡拉亚，数百名学生抗议政府对持续不断的野火危机应对不力，这场危机已使该地区笼罩在有毒的烟雾之中。

示威者戴着口罩，敦促宣布国家进入紧急状态以加强援助工作，并批评地方官员不作为。

这场大火已影响超过 190 万公顷的土地，由此产生的烟雾影响了人们的健康，并蔓延到邻国。

尽管外交关系紧张，国内局势动荡，但局势仍未得到解决，示威者呼吁政府采取更果断的干预措施。

印度尼西亚帕朗卡拉亚，10 月 24 日——上周五晚，数百名学生在印度尼西亚帕朗卡拉亚举行抗议活动，要求政府采取更多措施应对野火危机。这场危机已经笼罩了该市及周边地区数月之久，留下了有毒的烟雾。

学生们大多戴着医用口罩，聚集在能见度极低、天空呈现诡异橙色的天空下，挥舞着横幅，敦促当局宣布国家进入紧急状态，以便释放更多援助。

“官员们都是白痴，却享受着优厚的待遇，而普通百姓的生活却十分悲惨。”一块抗议标语牌上这样写道，它被钉在中加里曼丹省省长办公室外的墙上——中加里曼丹省是位于婆罗洲岛上的印度尼西亚省份，火灾就发生在那里。

示威者高唱印尼爱国歌曲《普萨卡》，并与警方发生轻微冲突。

据报道，没有人员受伤或被捕，夜幕降临后，抗议者清理了垃圾，然后和平散去。

“我们呼吁中加里曼丹省政府明确表示，它无力减轻这场灾难，以便将这种情况正式认定为国家灾难，”抗议领袖尤云·桑加亚对人群说道。

“如此浓重的烟雾竟然让无助的老人和新生婴儿吸入，而政府却对此视而不见，这怎么可能呢？”

据森林砍伐监测机构 Nusantara Atlas 的数据显示，截至 9 月的九个月内，野火已烧毁超过 190 万公顷的土地——政府尚未证实或否认这一数字。

由此产生的雾霾已导致印度尼西亚数十万人患病，并远波及马来西亚、新加坡和东帝汶。

在邻国提出外交反对的同时，国内民众的耐心也逐渐耗尽，不时爆发反政府抗议活动。

周四，印尼爪哇岛上的小学生们祈求降雨，岛上多个县和自然保护区也遭受了火灾肆虐。——法新社

约旦教堂枪击案再添一人死亡，26名受害者仍在医院接受治疗。

印尼仍在与超过22500公顷的火灾作斗争，其中加里曼丹中部受灾最为严重。

法国官员表示，马来西亚和法国应该携手保护儿童上网安全。

雾霾蔓延至砂拉越五处地点，而巴生谷空气质量略有改善。

醉酒司机撞上吉隆坡市政局道路工作人员，苏丹依斯干达大道主管身亡

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