Japan and Malaysia offer firefighting aid to Indonesia

forest fires water bombing Kalimantan disaster relief aerial firefighting

Japan and Malaysia have offered assistance to Indonesia to combat forest and land fires in Kalimantan.

The Japanese government is deploying three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to support aerial water bombing operations. These helicopters, transported via the JS Kunisaki, are expected to arrive at Kijing Port in West Kalimantan around September 9, 2026. The operation, which includes approximately 180 Japanese personnel, is scheduled to run from September 12 to September 19, 2026, with Pontianak serving as the primary operational base.

Separately, Malaysia has expressed its readiness to provide aerial firefighting support. The offer, communicated by Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, includes the use of helicopters for water bombing, amphibious aircraft, and cloud seeding operations. This offer follows bilateral discussions aimed at mitigating the risks of transboundary haze and extreme weather conditions caused by El Niño and the Southwest Monsoon.

Entities

CH-47 Chinook · Ministry of Defense of Indonesia

Sources

Jepang Kerahkan Tiga Helikopter Chinook untuk Bantu Padamkan Karhutla [www.rri.co.id]

14 days ago

Malaysia sedia kerah helikopter, pesawat amfibi bantu Indonesia padam kebakaran hutan [www.malaysiadateline.com]

13 days ago

Malaysia Tawarkan Bantuan Atasi Karhutla RI, Tunggu Persetujuan Indonesia - Nasional Katadata. co. id [katadata.co.id]

13 days ago

Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia's Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze [news.mongabay.com]

12 days ago

Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia's Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze [www.independent.co.uk]

13 days ago