Malaysia “is not closing the door” on a law to stop cross-border air pollution, the environment ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry’s letter came a day after saying it would not proceed with a proposed law on trans-boundary haze, citing difficulty in enforcement and gathering evidence outside its borders.
“The ministry would like to reiterate that it is not closing the door on the proposal for the enactment of legislation to address the issue of trans-boundary haze. The government is committed to preventing and mitigating this issue,” the ministry said in a statement.
There remains no details on any specific details or a timeline, but said it was gathering feedback on measures to address the issue.
Environment groups have urged countries to adopt new laws to pursue the plantation companies in foreign countries suspected of being responsible for the pollution.
The ministry said that a diplomatic approach through negotiations was a better way to “collectively address” haze coming across borders.
