Indonesian president apologizes for causing "Southeast Asia’s worst air pollution crisis in 16 years"

Reuters reports via ABS-CBNNews.com that Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has apologized for causing the forest fires that have become "Southeast Asia’s worst air pollution crisis in 16 years."

According to the report, Yudhoyono said at a news conference on Monday that Indonesia "was doing everything it could to contain the fires on the island of Sumatra, including the deployment of military aircraft to waterbomb the blazes, and has earmarked around 200 billion rupiah ($20 million) to handle the disaster." The week-long forest fires have caused thick smog to blanket the skies of Indonesia's neighbors, Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore's pollution index has significantly improved since it reached a "life-threatening" record of 401 last Friday, although it remains under "unhealthy" levels. Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, "was still shrouded in haze."

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