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Smokescreen politics? Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence

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Cite

Yusof, I. M. (2026, October 12). Smokescreen politics? Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3370587/smokescreen-politics-malaysians-mock-indonesian-officials-we-send-oxygen-haze-defence?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

South China Morning Post · collected 2026-10-12 · by Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Quick Summary

An Indonesian official defended the country's forest fires by claiming that when there is no smoke, Indonesia sends oxygen, suggesting a sarcastic linkage between Indonesian forests and air quality in neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore. This statement has drawn mockery online, with social media users questioning how such oxygen could be supplied or sold, and highlighting the neglect of Malaysia’s own forest conservation efforts.
Written by AI on 2026-10-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In late 2023, Malaysian social media users mocked an Indonesian official's defense regarding the haze problem affecting Singapore and Malaysia, after he claimed in a widely shared video on Kompas that when there is no smoke from forest fires, they "send oxygen." The comment sparked ridicule online as Malaysians questioned if breathing imported air could be sold. Users also pointed out why Malaysia's own forests seemed to have been overlooked despite the severe impact of haze on public health and daily life in both countries.

Written for “Haze Crisis Indonesia Malaysia” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Haze Crisis Indonesia Malaysia
Environment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the haze issue but do not report on the same specific incident.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the haze issue in Southeast Asia, with Article A focusing on a lawsuit against Indonesia for negligence, and Article B reporting on Malaysian reactions to an Indonesian official's statement about oxygen.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss haze issues in Southeast Asia due to fires in Indonesia, Article A focuses on Singapore's response and air quality situation, while Article B reports on Malaysian reactions to an Indonesian official’s statement.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the haze issue, with one focusing on an Indonesian official's comments and social media reaction, while the other reports on flight cancellations by a Malaysian airline due to poor air quality.”
BBC News
Hedges 1 of 5 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses a Malaysian reaction to an Indonesian official's statement about haze, while Article B describes actual visuals of haze in Indonesia's Kalimantan region.”
The Guardian
Hedges 5 of 27 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different responses to the haze issue occurring at separate times.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes public reaction to an Indonesian official's statement about haze, while Article B discusses Singapore considering legal action against companies responsible for peatland fires.”
The Hindu
Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 77/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the haze problem, one focusing on public reaction to an official statement while the other reports deaths of firefighters battling fires causing toxic smoke.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the haze issue; Article A focuses on a mocking reaction to an Indonesian official's statement while Article B reports Singapore targeting companies over wildfires.”
Times of India
Hedges 6 of 43 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A focuses on a specific mocking reaction to an Indonesian official's comment about sending oxygen, while Article B provides general information about the cause and effects of haze in Southeast Asia.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
4
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 4 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
64/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-12 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 3467 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Iman Muttaqin Yusof
25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Some social media users question whether they are breathing imported air and ask how it would be sold “We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas.
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Also by Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Malaysia still deep in 1MDB red as Najib heads home
2026-10-28 · South China Morning Post
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 25 articles by Iman Muttaqin Yusof →

Topics

Indonesian Kompas Malaysia Malaysians Singapore

Subjects

Indonesian NORP · 2× Malaysia GPE · 2× Kompas ORG · 1× Malaysians NORP · 1× Singapore GPE · 1×

Narrative

Some social media users question whether they are breathing imported air and ask how it would be sold “We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-12
🔮 Some social media users question whether they are breathing imported air and ask how it would be sold “We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas.

Claims (4 extracted, 0 hedged)

Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence asserted
we → mock → defence
Some social media users question whether they are breathing imported air and ask how it would be sold “We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas. asserted
he → question → Kompas
“The oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia also comes from our forests.” asserted
oxygen → come → forests
On social media, users questioned whether they were breathing imported air and why Malaysia’s own forests appeared to have been forgotten. asserted
forests → question → air
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