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Environment

Haze-plagued Malaysia to press companies over Indonesia fires

Mahathir weighs new law and looks to shame culprits with satellite pictures

A woman covers her face with a scarf in front of the Malaysian prime minister's office, which is shrouded in haze, in Putrajaya on Sept. 17.   © Reuters

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia -- The Malaysian government will draft a dedicated law to penalize local companies that burn their Indonesian plantations, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced, as haze envelops his country and forces the closure of thousands of schools due to dangerously poor air quality.

While Indonesian and Malaysian authorities point fingers at each other for the almost annual haze crisis, Mahathir conceded that Malaysian companies play a role in irresponsible burning of their agricultural estates in Indonesia.

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