Singapore widens haze probe to local firms linked to Indonesian fires

Kuala Lumpur and Singapore again ranked among the world’s 10 most polluted major cities late Friday, according to Switzerland-based air monitor IQAir.(AFP) — Singapore expanded its probe Friday into companies linked to fires in Indonesia, asking 10 locally based firms for information about their efforts to contain blazes blamed for toxic haze covering the region.The city-state has stepped up measures to combat the monthslong blazes and has vowed legal action against companies responsible for the fires, which have made the region’s air quality among the world’s worst.Over the past week, Singapore issued notices to 10 foreign-based companies, insisting that they deploy firefighting teams, stop burning or starting new fires in Indonesia and submit information about their links to associated companies in Indonesia and Singapore.The information is to be reviewed by Singapore’s National Environment Agency.In addition to these companies, the agency is seeking information from 10 Singapore-registered firms in the palm oil or forestry industry that are involved with Indonesian land, it said in a statement late Friday.The information relates to “linkages with associated companies in Singapore and Indonesia, the location of land concessions owned by them as well as fire preventative measures or firefighting efforts,” the statement said.Singapore also said it would form a panel of experts from law, audit and investigative firms with expertise in cross-border inquiries and investigations to help with its probe.Indonesia regularly experiences fires during its dry season, and experts say years of deforestation and the draining of peatland for cultivation have left previously fire-resistant landscapes vulnerable.Driven by a strong El Niño cycle and resulting drought, this year’s blazes have been particularly severe, burning through nearly 2 million hectares, according to deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas.The fires have raged across forests and peatland, as well as palm oil and timber plantations supplying multinational firms.Civil society groups have regularly accused companies of responsibility for the blazes, pointing to so-called hotspots in supplier plantations, sometimes called concessions.Several companies implicated have insisted they are not behind the fires, including Singapore Exchange-listed First Resources and Singapore-registered Asia Pulp and Paper. Both are named by the agency in the latest update on Singapore’s probe.Kuala Lumpur and Singapore again ranked among the world’s 10 most polluted major cities late Friday, according to Switzerland-based air monitor IQAir.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads