KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has urged Malaysia to consider legal action against Indonesia to seek compensation for the worsening transboundary haze crisis if Jakarta refuses to cooperate with a proposed permanent Asean firefighting task force.

Lim said the recurring crisis, which has forced schools to close and disrupted livelihoods, could no longer be treated as an annual inconvenience, calling for a coordinated regional response to tackle forest and land fires at their source.

In his speech during the Budget 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, the former finance minister proposed establishing a permanent Asean task force involving Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines, with rescue personnel available throughout the year to respond swiftly to outbreaks of forest and land fires.