S’pore waiting for Indonesia to respond to request for names of errant companies responsible for haze

SINGAPORE – The Indonesian government has yet to turn over the names of errant companies suspected of playing a part in causing the haze that has plagued Singapore since last month.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today (Oct 7) it has sent a formal request for the names of these companies to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore. “This was in response to the request by the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, who had previously said that if Singapore wanted the names of these companies to be officially sent to it, then this had to be done through the Government-to-Government channel,” an MFA spokesperson said. “We look forward to an early response from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on our requests so that we can take the necessary action against those who are responsible for the haze.”

In its note to the Indonesia embassy, Singapore also reiterated its haze assistance, which Indonesia has rejected several times, saying it has the resources to manage. “Singapore stands ready to assist Indonesia in its haze combatting and fire-fighting efforts,” the MFA spokesperson said.