Singapore, Indonesia launch joint task force to investigate firms linked to forest fires

Singapore and Indonesia said they will create a joint task force to investigate companies linked to forest and land fires that cause transboundary haze. The task force will combine information sharing, financial intelligence and cross-border evidence gathering, with the aim of holding firms accountable.

Indonesia’s foreign minister Arrmanatha Nasir said the cooperation will follow the money trail left by the companies and welcomed Singapore’s offer to share data. > "Smoke can cross borders, so can money. That is why we must follow the money trail these companies have left behind. Singapore offered to share data on companies linked to the fires, which we welcome as a valuable opportunity," he said.

Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan affirmed Singapore’s agreement to the task force and said it will ensure close coordination between the two countries. > "We are putting all the companies on notice that the joint task force will ensure very close coordination of actions and sharing of information between Indonesia and Singapore," he said.

Both ministers also announced a hotline to address any bilateral issues efficiently. Arrmanatha noted that the two nations’ relationship is mature enough to resolve differences constructively and respectfully.

Indonesia’s president has made tackling the fires a top priority, mobilising tens of thousands of ground personnel and aerial units, while also pursuing national investigations that have already led to prosecutions of hundreds of individuals and dozens of corporations.

Singapore has meanwhile formed a specialist panel of law, audit and investigative firms to probe firms that may have contributed to the haze, and the National Environment Agency has issued notices to ten Singapore-based companies for information under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.