President to Inspect Forest Fire Extinguishing Operations

Pekanbaru, Riau (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono planned to inspect forest fire extinguishing operations in the Riau province to see how they were carried out so far. "I have changed my schedule and will go to Riau," he said at a teleconference from Semarang, Central Java, with journalists at the Riau regional police headquarters here on Friday. He said he wanted to check the conditions in the fire-affected areas and see why the fires still continued to burn in Riau. He said he hoped during his visit, a solution to end the haze problems can be found. "(I will come) so that the solutions of the central and regional governments match," he said. Due to the President's plan, the regional government and the relevant offices had immediately organized a meeting at the office of Riau's governor to prepare for the visit. "If the president says immediately, it can mean tomorrow" Syamsul Maarif, the chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said. Due to haze covering the region, the President might come through Pinang Kampai in Dumai, or to Padang, West Sumatra, before proceeding by car," he said. (*) Reporting by Fb Anggoro