Ships have been warned to be on the alert as a
                 smoky haze from Indonesia's Riau province is
                 clouding the waterway

                 KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's marine police has
                 warned all ships plying along the Straits of Malacca to
                 be on the alert as a smoky haze from Indonesia's Riau
                 province is clouding the waterway.

                 Johor's marine police spokesman, Inspector Ghazali
                 Haron, said the haze seemed to have worsened and
                 visibility had dropped to about two nautical miles.

                 "In this situation, it is dangerous for those without
                 proper navigational facilities to sail while those fully
                 equipped have to be on the alert.

                 "We have to issue the warning as we don't want any
                 collision to take place during the haze," he said in
                 Muar.

                 He said smaller vessels such as fishing trawlers should
                 navigate with their lights on if they sailed during the
                 night.

                 Insp Ghazali, who is based in Muar, said the marine
                 unit had also been put on the alert to ensure no illegal
                 immigrants tried to enter the country under cover of
                 the haze.

                 Malaysia's Environment Minister, Datuk Law Hieng
                 Ding, said his Asean counterparts would hold informal
                 discussions on the haze when they met in Brunei next
                 month for the sultanate's Environment Day.

                 Meanwhile, overnight rains and strong winds eased
                 thickening smoke from forest and ground fires in the
                 Riau province yesterday and improved visibility by up
                 to 6 km.

                 "Today's weather has improved a lot compared to
                 yesterday and visibility is around 6 km," said Mr Nur
                 Alim of the provincial meteorology office in
                 Pekanbaru, the main city in Riau.

                 He added however that the heavy rains and strong
                 easterly winds had blown the smoke haze towards the
                 city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province.

                 A staff member at the meteorology office in Padang,
                 Mr Amarizal, said that the city was suffering as a
                 result.

                 Padang was partly covered by haze which had
                 reduced visibility down to 2 km early yesterday
                 morning.

                 "The normal level of visibility here is between 7 and 8
                 km, but the haze has reduced it to 2 km," Mr
                 Amarizal said.

                 Mr Ardi Yusuf, of the state's environmental impact
                 management agency, Bapedal, said in Pekanbaru that
                 satellite coverage had detected only one hot spot
                 remaining in the Riau region as of yesterday morning.
                 -- The Star/Asia News Network, AFP
 
 

                 PLEASE...

                 MALAYSIA'S Environment Minister yesterday told
                 the local media not to play up the air-quality index for
                 fear that it would keep tourists away. Datuk Law
                 Hieng Ding urged Malaysians not to worry too much
                 as the haze situation was under control. -- Bernama

                 Adapted from The Straits Times, 12 Mar 2000.