It's an annual occurrence in the dry season: a smoky, hazardous haze blankets southern Malaysia and Singapore.This year it was so bad that in some affected areas there was a 100 percent rise in the number of asthma cases.Hundreds of schools were closed, and the government of Malaysia distributed gas masks.The source of the pollution lies across the Malacca Strait in Indonesia where illegal burning of forests to clear space for palm oil plantations continues unabated.Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered a public apology."For what has happened, as president, I apologized and asked for the understanding of brothers in Singapore and Malaysia," he said.The Indonesian president promised to prosecute anyone involved in illegal slash-and-burn activities.Eight Southeast Asian companies are reportedly under investigation.But the ongoing deforestation seems to contradict past promises.In 2009, President Yudhoyono pledged to reduce by 26 percent greenhouse gas emissions, caused mostly by deforestation.And in 2011, he instituted a moratorium protecting designated forest areas. In exchange, environmentally conscious Norway pledged $1 billion to support these efforts.Ariana Alisjahbana at the World Resources Institute says local officials are not supporting the national plan.
