Jakarta, ThedailyID — Singapore plans to tighten its haze laws and investigate eight palm oil companies suspected of links to Indonesia’s forest and land fires. The government outlined four key measures during a meeting with company executives on Wednesday, October 28.
1. Singapore Plans to Strengthen Haze Laws
Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu, said the government plans to amend the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act during the next parliamentary session.
The proposed changes would:
- Make refusal to cooperate with investigations a criminal offense.
- Strengthen Singapore’s legal powers to address cross-border haze pollution.
- Protect public health from the effects of haze.
“Companies that fail to comply will be in breach of the law. We will use our powers to protect the health of the Singaporean public,” Fu said, according to Channel News Asia (CNA).
2. Eight Companies Must Undergo Independent Assessments
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the eight companies must undergo comprehensive independent assessments.
The reviews will examine:
- Company operations.
- Corporate relationships.
- Supply chains.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) will oversee the process. Independent assessment panels and law firms will conduct the reviews, while the companies will cover the costs.
Shanmugam said the process would also help companies with clean supply chains demonstrate that they had no involvement in land burning. He stressed that the government did not intend to find scapegoats or assign blame for political or public pressure.
3. Singapore Says It Will Not Back Down
Shanmugam said Singapore would accept the possibility that companies might leave the country rather than face the consequences of any proven violations.
“If a company is found to be involved in wrongdoing and then decides to leave Singapore, I think doing the right thing for the Singaporean public means accepting that consequence,” he said.
He added that protecting Singaporeans mattered more than allowing companies to continue harmful practices.
4. Being Investigated Does Not Mean Guilt
Singaporean authorities stressed that a company’s participation in an assessment does not automatically prove wrongdoing.
The government has also sent similar notices to other companies, including those without operations in Singapore.
Meanwhile, executives from the eight palm oil companies pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation during their meeting with Singaporean officials on Wednesday.
The meeting involved Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Shanmugam, and Fu. Senior Counsel Davinder Singh and officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, NEA, and the Ministry of Law also attended.
The eight companies represented were:
- Bumitama Agri
- First Resources
- Golden Agri-Resources
- Indofood Agri Resources
- Kencana Agri
- TSH Resources
- Wilmar International
- Sinar Mas Group
