1997 Indonesian forest fires

In 1997, forest fires in Indonesia spread thick smoke to Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sent Malaysian firefighters to Indonesia to help,^[1] calling it Operation Haze. This aimed to reduce the impact on Malaysia's economy, which lost an estimated 0.30% of its GDP due to the haze.^[2]

Seasonal rains in December briefly stopped the fires, but they returned soon after. By early 1998, countries like Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka^[3] were also affected by the smoke. By the end, 8 million hectares of land had burned, and millions of people suffered from air pollution.

1. ↑ New Straits Times - Nov 8, 1997
2. ↑ Indonesia's Fires and Haze: The Cost of Catastrophe By David Glover, Timothy Jessup, page 46
3. ↑ Jim, C.Y. (1999). Geography Vol. 84, No. 3 (The Forest Fires in Indonesia 1997-98: Possible Causes and Pervasive Consequences). Geographical Association. p. 255.