Saipan (ANTARA News) - A smoke haze from illegal land clearing in Indonesia is causing problems on islands 3,600 kilometres (2,250 miles) away in the western Pacific, authorities said Thursday.

In the US-administered Northern Mariana Islands, the Emergency Management Office was quoted by AFP as saying Indonesian fires were the source of haze over the islands.

The smoke comes from illegal land clearing fires in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, and Sumatra.

In Guam, near to the Northern Marianas, acting governor Tim Villagomez said the haze was likely to persist for several days but was not expected to cause health problems.

Motorists were warned to take extra care because of the poor visibility.

Indonesia's annual burn-off causes a haze that typically smothers parts of Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, as well as Indonesia.

In Indonesia, the number of respiratory problems has risen, schools have been closed and air traffic disrupted.