REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government plans to evacuate victims of haze from forest and plantation fires, with the priority given to infants, a chief minister said.

"The government is currently making a coordination and trying to find a way for evacuation of infants who have become victims of haze disaster, to safer places," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said here, Thursday.

The authorities are also considering to use Indonesia's warships and state-owned shipping company PELNI ships to accommodate them until the situation returns to normal.

"We will identify every space to protect the children. In the next two days, we will inform steps that will be taken by the government," the minister said.

Social Affairs Minister KHofifah Indar Parawansa said there is a possibility that the infants would be evacuated to other provinces.

The social affairs ministry, for instance, has prepared its education and training office in Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan Province to accommodate infants from the haze-worst-hit Central Kalimantan Province.

"There are two buildings that could accommodate up to 250 families," the minister said.

The social ministers are currently also preparing emergency tents equipped with smoke-filters.

The environmental affairs and forestry ministry reported that the Central Kalimantan is currently the worst province hit by haze that has surge the pollutant standard index to 1,950 per October 20, far above the threshold of 300 to 500 which is already categorically hazardous.

On the same date, the pollutant standard index in Jambi Province, Sumatra Island, was 945, while in West Kalimantan and South Sumatra was 400 each.

Hundreds of thousand of people have fallen ill, and they particularly suffer from respiratory infection due to the haze.

Some 90 percent of the forest fires were caused by men this year. A total of 1.697 million hectares of areas owned by 413 companies were alleged sources of the fires, according to the environmental affairs and forestry ministry.

Of the 413 companies, 227 are of forestry concessionary holders/industrial plant forests, and 186 are plantation companies. The government is tackling the cases.

The environmental affairs and forestry ministry has imposed sanctions including by revoking licenses of some of the companies.

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