The Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, Mr Brendan Lyons, has his own method of measuring the smoke haze which has smothered South-East Asia for weeks. He looks from his home in Kuala Lumpur towards the massive twin towers a kilometre away in the centre of the city. If he cannot see them he does not need the radio to tell him that the air pollutants index (API) is high again. He knows it's really bad when he is unable to see his garden gate. The outline of the towers, Asia's highest building, was fairly distinct yesterday after a couple of thunderstorms brought some relief to the choking country. But the haze has not gone, the API is still at an officially "unhealthy" level and weather experts warn the dense smog from forest and peat fires in Indonesia could return any time. The smoke-filled air is swirling slowly round a vast area of South East Asia and will not dissipate until monsoon rains douse the fires. Usually, the downpours come in mid-October but because of El Nino, which has sucked moisture out of the western Pacific, they may not come until much later. Hundreds of foreigners in Kuala Lumpur are not staying around to guess when the worst will be over. They are taking long breaks away from the region, mainly for health reasons. They include some of the estimated 450 Irish residents who are determined to get fresh air into their children's lungs.
Mrs Dolores Conroy, until last week president of the city's Irish society, is flying to Ireland tomorrow with her daughters, Laura (12) and Aoife (8), for an unplanned three-week break. A native of Galway, she described a month of permanent dullness in Kuala Lumpur - except for one day when the sky turned a "wonderful yellow". The children had to wear masks and for weeks could not go out to swim or play tennis. Everyone constantly kept an eye on the television for pollution news. "I didn't know what API was before, but now I'm an expert," she said.
What worries people is the uncertainty. The United States ambassador, Mr John Malott, announced that all US embassy family members were authorised to leave - the first time Washington has made such a concession for health reasons. But he frankly admitted he could not say with certainty what health effects would result from the situation. The Australian high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Robert Cotton, said the daily smog was affecting people's morale. However, the Irish Trade Board representative, Mr Tony Courtney, remarked: "It 's not really that depressing. The problem is that no one knows what the true situation is. That's causing a lot of uncertainty."
There is also a degree of hype. A visiting foreign businessman was filmed by the BBC sitting beside a deserted hotel pool wearing a smog mask - but he said the crew had asked him to put it on. Kuala Lumpur's international school is supplying "keep-up" education kits and on-line instruction for departing children. WHO warning on smog: page 9