Haze now has world’s attention, Shanmugam tells Jakarta

SINGAPORE — In a telephone call today (Sept 18) to express deep concern over the ongoing haze situation in Singapore, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said to his Indonesian counterpart that the haze had attracted international attention, and there was focus on how regional countries were dealing with it.

Noting that transboundary haze had a negative economic impact on the entire region, Mr Shanmugam sought greater regional cooperation and stressed that member states of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) should fulfil their obligations under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which includes operationalising the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System.

Mr Shanmugam’s comments during his call to Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi were outlined in a statement issued by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Mr Shanmugam said strong action needs to be taken against errant companies behind the forest fires in Indonesia. He welcomed Ms Retno’s statement that the names of these errant companies would be conveyed to Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. 

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, said Singapore would take action to the fullest extent of its laws once the names are provided. He also welcomed steps taken by the Indonesian government to combat the haze and stressed the importance of a longer-term solution to address the causes  behind the recurrent problem. 

Separately, Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said in a press conference today that the authorities will begin naming several companies from next week. Sanctions they could face for starting fires include the withdrawal of their licences. 

Air quality in Singapore deteriorated today because of haze blown in by the wind. 

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index at 8pm was 79 to 92, in the moderate range. The one-hour PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) at 8pm was 63 to 87 microgrammes per cubic metre. 

Occasional hazy conditions are expected tomorrow, with air quality ranging from moderate to unhealthy, said the National Environment Agency.