New: Singapore Ministers Meet 10 Firms Linked to Haze Probe

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Senior Minister K Shanmugam and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu met the leaders of 10 companies named in the Singapore haze probe on Wednesday (Oct 28), Malay Mail reported, citing AsiaOne.

The Singapore-registered firms, from the palm oil and forestry sectors, agreed to cooperate after the ministers set out the Government’s expectations, according to the report. All 10 firms were represented at the meeting.

Singapore Ministers

They are Asia Pulp & Paper Company Limited, Asia Pulp & Paper Company (China) Limited, Bumitama Agri Ltd, Golden Agri International Pte Ltd, First Resources Ltd, Indofood Agri Resources Ltd, Kencana Agri Ltd, TSH Global Plantation Pte Ltd, TSH Oversea Pte Ltd and Wilmar International Ltd.

Also present were lawyer Davinder Singh SC and senior officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Ministry of Law and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Singapore haze probe notices and assessors

NEA issued notices to the companies on Oct 23 under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act. The notices sought details of their corporate links in Singapore and Indonesia, the locations of their land concessions in Indonesia, and their fire prevention and firefighting measures during the current dry season.

The companies are expected to engage, at their own expense, a firm from a specialist panel of assessors with expertise in cross-border inquiries and investigations, according to the report. The assessors are to be given full access to the companies’ operations, supply chains and corporate relationships, and will submit an evaluation report to NEA.

The Ministry of Law will publish the list of firms selected for the panel.

Shanmugam said the aim was “not to find scapegoats”, adding that if the facts showed no wrongdoing, the Government would proceed on that basis.

Changes to haze law in Parliament

The Straits Times, in a report carried by Yahoo News, said Shanmugam announced that Singapore will propose changes to the Act when Parliament next sits. The next sitting begins on Nov 3.

Under the amendments, firms linked to the haze must give appointed investigators full access to information, corporate documents and business premises, and failing to comply will be an offence, the report said. It added that the Act does not currently give NEA the power to require firms to appoint such investigators.

According to the report, Shanmugam told the companies the Government expects substantive cooperation and transparency, “not merely technical compliance or lawyered responses”. He said the companies had told the ministers they would cooperate fully.

The Straits Times also reported that representatives of firms that fail to comply with Section 10 notices face a fine of up to S$5,000, jail of up to one month, or both.

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