Singapore and Indonesia will set up a joint task force to coordinate action against companies linked to the forest and land fires behind the haze, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told a joint press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (27 October).
A task force on fire-linked firms
Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir proposed the task force and Singapore agreed. The press conference followed their first official meeting as foreign ministers.
The task force will coordinate actions and share information between the two countries on companies tied to the fires. “We are in effect putting all the companies on notice,” Dr Balakrishnan said.
Action on Singapore-registered companies
Singapore will take action against the companies responsible for the haze, including those registered in Singapore, Dr Balakrishnan told reporters.
“We are going to exercise all, every single legal and regulatory power, and we are prepared to use an even wider range of legal, regulatory, and economic measures to deter future violations by companies,” he said.
He described Indonesians in Kalimantan and Sumatra as the first victims of the haze, and paid tribute to the Indonesian firefighters and emergency personnel who have worked on the fires over the past few weeks.
Hotlines between ministers
The two countries will also set up hotlines at ministerial and senior official levels to handle differences on bilateral issues, CNA reported, citing Mr Arrmanatha.
Haze outlook for this week
NEA’s haze update on Tuesday forecast a 24-hour PSI of 60 to 90, in the moderate range, for Wednesday. At 6pm on Tuesday, the 24-hour PSI stood at 62 to 76.
NEA forecast winds from the east-southeast or south-southeast on Thursday and Friday, a direction that carries smoke haze from southern Sumatra, along with showers to lower the risk.
