Singapore Tightens Haze Law to Hit Firms Linked to Fires with Full Investigator Access
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Singapore will amend the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to give investigators full access to the information and premises of companies linked to haze-causing fires, and non-compliance will be treated as an offence.
Singapore plans to tighten its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) when Parliament reconvenes on Nov 3, Senior Minister K. Shanmugam said on Oct 28. The proposed amendments would require firms identified as having links to haze-producing fires in Indonesia to provide appointed investigators with unrestricted access to corporate documents, information and business premises. Under the current law, the National Environment Agency (NEA) lacks the power to compel such cooperation, which has made investigations and enforcement difficult in practice.
"I will say this plainly, non-compliance with Section 10 is an offence. They are not routine requests for information. We expect your companies to respond fully, accurately, and promptly," Shanmugam told representatives of ten Singapore-based companies that had received NEA notices on Oct 23.
The meeting, held at the Treasury building, also included Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, and senior counsel Davinder Singh, whose firm will advise the government and coordinate a specialist panel of legal, audit and investigation experts. The panel will be tasked with examining the operations, corporate relationships and supply chains of firms identified as linked to the haze, with audit reports to be submitted to authorities. Firms will have to engage the panel’s professionals at their own expense, and the list of panel members will be published by the Ministry of Law.
"Singaporeans should not have to bear the health and environmental costs of irresponsible business conduct. Even as the haze condition improves, we will not relent," Fu said.
Shanmugam emphasized that the government’s aim is not to go after scapegoats but to ensure companies operate without harming Singapore or the region. He added that the authorities will use all legal and regulatory tools available, and that if investigations find no wrongdoing, the matter will be closed accordingly.
Separately, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that banks should assess environmental risks in their lending, requiring customers to disclose any involvement in activities that contribute to haze and allowing banks to impose conditions or limit exposure where breaches of environmental law are identified.