2019 Southeast Asian haze
A trans-national air pollution crisis affected several countries in Southeast Asia from February to September 2019, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
A NASA satellite image showing the extent of the haze in Borneo on 15 September 2019. | |
| Duration | February – May 2019 (Thailand) June – September 2019 (other countries) |
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| Location | Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam |
| Outcome | School closures in Malaysia and Indonesia Cancellation of all Firefly flights between Singapore and Malaysia, as well as in Indonesia |
| Deaths | Indonesia: 2 died from respiratory infections. |
| Arrests | Indonesia: 230 people were arrested for their suspected involvement in forest and land burning. |
| Southeast Asian haze series |
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Thailand began to experience a haze in February that lasted until May, peaking in March and April. Indonesia began to experience haze between June and July. Malaysia was affected from August, while Singapore, Brunei, and Vietnam experienced haze in September.
It was the latest occurrence of the Southeast Asian haze, a long-term issue that occurs in varying intensity during every dry season in the region. It was mainly caused by forest fires resulting from illegal slash-and-burn clearing performed on behalf of the palm oil industry in Indonesia, principally on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, which then spread quickly in the dry season.