Malaysia's Sooty Shadow: The Unwelcome Return of the Haze Southeast Asia is once again shrouded in a thick layer of haze, as dry air and smog choked skies return to the region.
For Malaysia, this annual affliction has become a perpetual specter, a grim reminder that some environmental issues are particularly resistant to resolution.
The source of the problem lies in Indonesian wildfires, which have ravaged 550 hectares (1,360 acres) of land in East Java's Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.