Singapore turns to its own palm oil and forestry firms in Indonesia as South-east Asian haze probe grows

Singapore has expanded its investigation into companies linked to fires in Indonesia, requesting information from 10 local firms about their efforts to combat the blazes. Singapore has also issued notices to 10 foreign-based companies, demanding they deploy fire-fighting teams, stop burning or starting new fires in Indonesia, and submit information about their connections with associated companies in Indonesia and Singapore.

The National Environmental Agency (NEA) is reviewing this information. Additionally, Singapore is seeking data from 10 palm oil or forestry firms in the nation involved with Indonesian land. The NEA aims to form a panel of experts to aid its cross-border probe. Indonesia frequently experiences fires during its dry season, and experts attribute the severity of this year’s blazes to deforestation, peatland drainage, and vulnerability due to El Nino-driven drought.

The blazes have scorched nearly two million hectares of forests, peatlands, palm oil plantations, and timber plantations belonging to multinational corporations. Civil society groups have accused companies of responsibility for the fires, citing "hotspots" in supplier plantations. Singapore Exchange-listed First Resources and Singapore-registered Asia Pulp and Paper have both been implicated and named by the NEA.

Both cities, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, remain among the world's top 10 most polluted major cities.