Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Thursday said that the declaration of haze emergency in two areas of the Selangor State does not involve curfews.

There would not be any changes in the pattern and system of the Selangor state government, the prime minister said as he declared a haze emergency on all areas in Kuala Selangor and Port Klang in the state of Selangor with immediate effect.

However, Malaysian police and armed forces should be ready to ensure continued peace and security, he said in a statement.

At 11 am Thursday, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Kuala Selangor reached 531 while the figure in Port Klang hit 529, both categorized as "hazardous to health".

Malaysia's eastern state of Sarawak suffered a severe haze on September 19, 1997 when a haze emergency was declared there after its API reading surpassed 650.

Meanwhile, the National Security Division, a working group under Malaysia's National Disaster and Relief Management Committee, issued some guidelines on steps to be taken when Badawi announced the haze emergency.

Under the haze emergency, all offices, government or private sector, and other offices including factories, estates, construction and quarries, will be closed, excluding shops selling foods and beverages, markets and supermarkets, clinics, pharmacies, medicine shops and essential services.

All activities involving earthworks will be stopped, all schools will be closed, all open burning will be banned, and the public will be urged to use private vehicles lesser.

Badawi urged all parties to assume their tasks and responsibilities under these guidelines.

Source: Xinhua