JAKARTA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Military Commander Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto said on Tuesday that more troops will be deployed to ensure forest fires don't become a problem in South Sumatra province during the Asiad held in the province's capital of Palembang.
"Now the personnel deployed by the provincial military command is enough to anticipate the forest fires," Hadi said during his visit to the province to inspect the handling of current forest fires in the province.
Besides engaging troops, police and volunteers to carry out surveillance, Hadi said a joint operation carried out by the provincial police and military personnel will be conducted to arrest those inciting fires in the forest.
As of Tuesday, some 240 hectares of land was affected by forest fires in the last few days, according to data released by the monitoring center.
Should the forest fire continue to take place in those areas, it is feared that the haze from the forest fire could harm athletes.
Palembang and Indonesia's capital of Jakarta will jointly host the 18th Asian Games from August 18 to September 2.
