Singapore expands crackdown on Indonesian companies linked to haze

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore will issue preventive notices to three more Indonesian companies to tackle and prevent forest fires in Kalimantan province that may have sent smoke across the border, the National Environment Agency said Monday.

This brings to 10 the number of Indonesian companies that Singapore is targeting under its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

The National Environment Agency said in a statement that it sent preventive measure notices last Friday to seven Indonesian agroforestry companies linked to fires in Sumatra province. Since then, it said that there were indications that smoke from fires in the Kalimantan province on lands held via concessions under three additional companies in Indonesia could also have moved to Singapore.

As such, it said it would also send preventive measure notices to the three companies in Kalimantan: PT Buana Megatama Jaya, PT Mananjung Hayak and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa.

The notices require the companies to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish fires or prevent them from spreading on land they own or occupy, the agency said in a statement. They must also stop any ongoing burning activities, refrain from starting new ones and submit action plans detailing measures to put out fires and prevent them from recurring.

The earlier seven companies are pulpwood supplier PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah, PT SBA Wood Industries, PT Hutan Lestari Raya and PT Bangkanesia.

The notices don’t amount to a finding that the companies are legally responsible for the haze in Singapore. But they allow prosecution and financial penalties if the legal requirements for an offense are met.

Forest and land fires in Indonesia have sent thick haze across neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, pushing air pollution to unhealthy and hazardous levels in some areas, disrupting daily life and prompting school closures and public health measures. The smoke has also turned skies orange in parts of Kalimantan.

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has recorded more than 2,020 square kilometers (780 square miles) of burned land between January and July, while the Nusantara Atlas project estimated that nearly 8,960 square kilometers (3,460 square miles) had burned by the end of August.

Singapore Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said that the Singapore Exchange has also sought information from seven Singapore-listed agricultural companies about their operations and possible links to fires in Indonesia that have caused haze in the country.

He said that the smog was “entirely preventable” and warned companies linked to the fires that they shouldn’t think that they can get away from taking responsibility. He reiterated that the problem was “not simply an act of nature,” but one driven by companies pursuing profits.

“They may think that it is hard to get evidence, and that they may think that they can escape scrutiny. But they should not underestimate the Singapore government’s determination to act,” he said in remarks carried by Singapore broadcaster CNA.

“If companies refuse to cooperate, regardless of whether they have a presence in Singapore or do not have a presence in Singapore, we will use every legal and regulatory lever at our disposal to exert pressure where it matters, including on their bottom lines, including on their access to financing, and including on their standing with investors.”

Shanmugam said that it was “disappointing” that an Indonesian official had belittled the crisis by saying Singapore gets oxygen from Indonesian forests where there is no haze. He said that such comments were inappropriate when people across the region are suffering from the haze because of the “bad behavior” of companies breaching regulations in Indonesia.

He welcomed the efforts of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to tackle the fires, including accepting foreign assistance to put out the flames. He noted that Prabowo has replaced the head of the agency responsible for firefighting and disaster relief, put in place directives against slash-and-burn practices on peatland, and prioritized fire prevention as a long-term solution.

Indonesia’s top security minister, Dudung Abdurachman, said on Monday that the government wouldn’t declare the forest fires a national disaster for now, insisting that the country remained capable of handling the crisis, despite mounting haze concerns in neighboring countries.