KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 9 -- The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has pressed for decisive, measurable regional action from Asean to eliminate transboundary haze, warning that recurring pollution inflicts severe damage on public health, worker safety, and economic productivity.

The industrial group issued the appeal as severe haze blanketed the country, with Department of Environment (DOE) data recording 38 out of 68 national monitoring stations in the unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) bracket this morning, led by Seremban at 186.

In a statement today, FMM president Jacob Lee Chor Kok stressed that industrial and economic expansion must not come at the expense of environmental sustainability.

"Clean air is not a luxury. It is a...