‘Influence without enforcement’: Indonesia’s fires test Singapore’s anti-haze law

Singapore has served notices to 20 firms linked to Indonesia's fires, but has stopped short of taking further legal action.

Half of the notices were sent to concession holders in Sumatra and Kalimantan where the fires originated, while the other half went to Singapore-based entities with ties to them.

Of the 10 Indonesian plantation companies identified, three of them — PT Bumi Andalas Permai, PT Bumi Mekar Hijau and PT SBA Wood Industries — have had separate investigations open against them by Singaporean authorities since 2015, with no public outcome.

The other six companies issued the notices requiring them to act against fires are PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah, PT Hutan Lestari Raya, PT Bangkanesia, PT Mananjung Hayak and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa.

A spokesperson from Singapore's National Environmental Agency told Mongabay by email it could not disclose further details into existing investigations.

The agency did not respond to questions as to whether it would escalate against repeat offenders.

Singapore-headquartered APP, Singapore-listed First Resources and Bumitama Agri, and privately held First Borneo Plantations, whose ownership is tied to Singapore, already appear to be linked to the haze-causing fires in Indonesia, Singapore's senior minister K Shanmugam said on Oct. 19.

APP's green label — reinstated in 2019 after being suspended during the 2015 haze episode — was temporarily restricted by the Singapore Environment Council on Oct. 18, raising the possibility that its products could be pulled from supermarket shelves, as happened in 2015.

The Ministry of Law has since set up a specialist panel of legal, audit and investigative firms to aid in its probe, with further updates expected this week.

Singapore became the first country in the world to pass a law allowing it to punish foreign entities for causing cross-border air pollution in 2014.

Under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), companies found guilty of causing or condoning fires that affect Singapore's air quality can be fined up to 100,000 Singapore dollars ($77,951) a day, capped at 2 million Singapore dollars ($1.6 million).

Despite several major fire episodes blanketing the city-state with haze since 2015, it has yet to bring any charges or impose any penalties under the act.