KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — The Malaysian government will deploy its assets and people to help Australia fight the bushfires that are spreading down south.
Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said the decision has been approved by the Cabinet and the mission will be coordinated by the National Disaster Management Agency.
“Recognising our history of close bilateral ties, the Cabinet has approved plans for Malaysia to provide assistance to Australia in the form of funds and deployment of personnel and strategic assets in the rescue and fire extinguishing operations.
“It is an international crisis that must serve as a wake-up call at every level — individuals, organisations and nation states,” he said in a statement.
Azmin said the fires ravaging Australia is “an international crisis that must serve as a wake-up call at every level — individuals, organisations and nation states”.
He noted the unseasonal climate changes that have wrought catastrophic consequences in other parts of the world without regard for national boundaries and called for a global response.
“We need to prove our commitment, individually and collectively, to commit to a clear implementation roadmap for sustainable policies we have painstakingly crafted through the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he added.
Australia’s east and south have been ravaged by a series of bushfires brought on by unseasonably hot weather in late 2019 that have since resulted in 28 human deaths and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and wildlife to date.
As estimated 10 million hectares, or 100,000 sq km across the country, have been razed.
