Indonesia to fight smog Under siege: The Singapore skyline is shrouded in haze last month as pollution soared to record levels. Indonesia says it hopes to ratify a regional treaty by early next year to fight smog from forest fires that brings misery to millions, but an activist said tougher steps are needed. "We hope we can ratify the agreement by the end of the year or early next year," the country's Environment Minister, Balthasar Kambuaya, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. Earlier on Wednesday Mr Kambuaya and environment ministers from four other ASEAN countries, which together form the Southeast Asian bloc's "haze committee," met to discuss ways to prevent the Indonesian forest fires. The blazes on Sumatra island, caused by the slash and burn method of land clearance for cultivation, left neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia choking in June in the worst haze in more than a decade. The air pollution scared off tourists, forced schools to close and caused a rise in respiratory illnesses. Indonesia is the only member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which has still not ratified its Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, brokered in 2002. The treaty aims to stop cross-border smog from forest fires by requiring parties to prevent burning, monitor prevention efforts, exchange information and provide mutual help. It also binds signatories to "respond promptly" to requests for information from countries hit by the smoke, and to take steps to implement their obligations under the treaty. T Jayabalan, a public health consultant and adviser to Friends of the Earth Malaysia, praised Jakarta's move to vow to ratify the treaty but warned that lax law enforcement meant the smog problem would not go away. It is a lukewarm measure. You can have all the regulations, but if enforcement is lax, we will continue to have haze," he told said. Mr Jayabalan said large swathes of combustible peatland in Sumatra also meant enforcement would be difficult. What we need is meaningful self-regulation. Public health should override profits," he said. We need a code of practice which includes deterrent measures to prevent burning, where directors of companies are liable to be jailed. Indonesia has blamed its parliament for the long delay in ratifying the haze agreement.