Malaysia's prime minister on Friday vowed to act against Malaysian plantation companies caught burning forests in Indonesia, saying he feels «wretched» about their alleged contributions to a pall of noxious haze, AP reported. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he has asked Plantations Minister Peter Chin to call an immediate meeting with top officials of Malaysian plantation companies operating in Indonesia «to ensure that there is no more burning.» «I feel very wretched. By now, they should have realized that what they did would have an impact here in Malaysia, their own country,» he told reporters. Asked if action will be taken against these companies, he said: «I believe so.» The fires _ started by farmers, plantation owners and miners each year to clear land during dry weather _ have produced heavy layers of smoke that wafted to Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore, depending on wind direction. This time the haze has covered Malaysia's biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, and surrounding areas in the Klang Valley. Indonesia's Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Thursday that 10 Malaysian firms clearing land in Indonesia had contributed to the fires. Chin, the Malaysian minister, has confirmed the involvement of at least two.
