Singapore passes tougher anti-haze laws, fines to increase 10 times against offenders

Singapore's parliament approved a stricter law on Wednesday to penalize companies responsible for Indonesian forest fires, intensifying efforts to combat the hazardous haze that has plagued the city-state for over a decade. The revised Transboundary Pollution Haze Act will impose penalties tenfold higher, with a maximum daily fine of S$1 million (US$780,000) and a cumulative limit of S$20 million.

Since the Act's inception in 2014, it has been utilized twice, with no fines actually enforced. Last year, Singapore alerted six companies, of which two cases concluded, while four remain unresolved. Recently, the country directed 10 Singapore-based entities to provide documents and information regarding the latest haze episode.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu, emphasized the need for improved information gathering, relationship tracing, and punishment of negligent entities. The amendments aim to bolster accountability and impose harsher consequences on violators, even if criminal prosecution is challenging. Among the measures, Singapore will gain the authority to restrict business dealings with designated firms, potentially leading to fines of up to S$1 million per violation and an additional S$100,000 daily for non-compliance.

While these changes may not guarantee successful prosecutions or solve the transboundary haze problem outright, they will enhance Singapore's capacity to address haze issues affecting its citizens. However, implementing the law might prove difficult due to the need for cooperation from Indonesia to identify guilty parties and the uncertainty surrounding evidence collection, as noted by law professors Alan Tan and Joseph Chun.

The bill's passage was expedited following President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's issuance of a Certificate of Urgency. Lawmakers have expressed differing opinions on the potential impact on Singapore's relationships with neighboring countries and its pro-business environment, with some calling for greater transparency, accountability measures, and increased regional cooperation to tackle the haze problem.