Indonesia's president ready to accept foreign assistance to combat fires, foreign minister says

JAKARTA, Oct 16 (Reuters) — Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to accept assistance from neighbouring countries to tackle its worst forest fires in more than a decade, the country's foreign minister said. Indonesia has come under heavy criticism after months of fierce wildfires that have caused respiratory problems for hundreds of thousands of people and spread thick haze into neighbouring countries, leading to school closures in Malaysia and East Timor. Last month, Malaysia offered to deploy three helicopters, an aircraft, and 52 personnel to help contain the fires, but there has been no follow-up since. Singapore, another country badly affected by the haze, has also said it is ready to step in to help contain the fires. "The President has already expressed his approval, and the matter is currently being discussed at the technical level within the BNPB," Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said, according to a voice a recording shared by his ministry on Friday. BNPB is Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency. The new chief of the agency, appointed on Thursday, said he is reviewing the types of assistance being offered and will decide which ones can be accelerated. The