Singapore's Wong looks into which companies may be responsible for Indonesia's haze fires
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Oct 15 his government is looking into which companies may be responsible for Indonesia's fires. He is also exploring joint action with other countries. Operators with Indonesian concessions have legal and diplomatic questions to weigh alongside the reputational one.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
Key figures: the 24-hour PSI in Singapore's central region hit a season high of 224 at 7 am on Oct 16. Air quality is considered unhealthy when PSI levels are 101 and above. The PSI in the west hit a season high of 212 at noon on Oct 15.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season-high 24-hour PSI, central region, 7 am Oct 16 | 224 PSI | 9 | |
| Unhealthy air, from | 101 PSI and above | 10 | |
| Season high, west, noon Oct 15 | 212 PSI | 7 |
What happened
- The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, in force since September 2014, lets Singapore take legal action against firms responsible for haze even when their activities take place overseas.
- Greenpeace's Oct 5 report linked two Singapore-listed palm oil companies, Bumitama Agri and First Resources, to plantation areas in Indonesia where fires and smoke were detected.
- Sustainability minister Grace Fu said on Oct 14 that Singapore is keeping its options open on action under the Act while it collects data.
- Jakarta went within a week from an official saying Indonesia could still handle the fires itself to saying it would accept foreign assistance.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure We'd expect groups with a Singapore listing or Singapore-incorporated owners, such as those Greenpeace named, to be the likeliest early subjects of any case, since Singapore can act against them at home.
- What doesn't add up contradiction The Guardian describes Singapore as threatening to prosecute, yet the statements quoted from Wong and Fu leave the decision open, so prosecution is so far a stated option.
- Who has to decide decision This quarter a company with Indonesian concessions must choose whether to assemble its own fire and hotspot records while Singapore collects data; next quarter's consequence is Singapore's call on whether to name anyone.
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Haze shuts schools across Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and four Malaysian statesConfirmed3 publishers
The Act's trigger is specific. It targets those responsible for causing or condoning fires if haze keeps the PSI at 101 or above in any part of Singapore for 24 hours or more [10]. The 24-hour reading hit 212 in the west on Oct 15 [7] and 224 in the central region at 7 am on Oct 16 [9], both more than double the threshold [19]. In our view condoning is the word concession holders should read closely, because a company can condone a fire it did not light.
Wong's pledge carried a qualifier. "Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and explore joint action with other countries," he said [2]. The counter-case is in the Guardian's reporting: several attempts to take legal action against companies exacerbating transboundary haze have failed, both locally and internationally, and posed a diplomatic minefield [22]. That history argues against expecting a quick conviction. We think the exposure this quarter is investigation and naming.
The direct penalty has a ceiling. Fines run up to S$100,000 a day and stop at a total of S$2 million [12]. The ceiling is reached after 20 days at the daily maximum [20].
Greenpeace named a third company, First Borneo Plantations, which is privately held and has ownership links to Singapore-incorporated companies [4]. The Guardian wrote that several companies with concessions in Indonesia are reportedly based in the city-state, which has no plantations or forests of its own [13]. None of the four reports includes a response from the named companies or says Singapore has named a company itself, so we do not know yet which firms the government is examining or what evidence it will treat as enough.
Indonesia has already answered the criticism sharply. Syahganda Nainggolan, who heads Indonesia's government communication agency, hit back: "We don't only send haze," he said, "the oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia comes from our forests" [14]. The Guardian described ASEAN as built on quiet engagement and non-interference, with regional foreign ministers due to meet in the Philippines next month [18]. Singapore and Malaysia both host companies working in Indonesia [16], and Greenpeace's report also identified businesses based in Malaysia that it claimed were linked to burning land [5]. We'd expect Malaysia to be the first partner for any joint action, but Wong's word was "explore" [2].
The sequence we'd expect runs from data to a decision on naming to any joint action. The only timetable on the record is Fu's own: "we will share with you in due course" [11].
What to watch
- Whether Singapore names a company or files a case under the Act, and what data it cites.
- Responses from Bumitama Agri, First Resources and First Borneo Plantations to Greenpeace's findings.
- Whether Indonesia declares a national disaster, which civil society groups, Indonesian politicians and neighbours are urging.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+20
- Incentives
- Not scored
- Confidence70
Perspective Coverage
5 publishers- Builder
- Builder 5%
- Operator
- Operator 60%
- Investor
- Investor 35%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Thursday Oct 15, in a social media post, that Singapore is looking into which companies may be responsible for the forest and peatland fires in Indonesia that have worsened the haze.
- [2]
Wong said: "Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and explore joint action with other countries."
- [3]
According to a Greenpeace investigation, two Singapore-listed palm oil companies, Bumitama Agri and First Resources, have been linked to plantation areas in Indonesia where fires and smoke were detected; the report was published Oct 5.
- [4]
Privately held First Borneo Plantations, which has ownership links to Singapore-incorporated companies, was also named in Greenpeace's Oct 5 report.
- [5]
A Greenpeace report published this month identified businesses based in Singapore and Malaysia that it claimed were linked to burning land in Indonesia.
- [6]
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Oct 14 that Singapore is keeping its options open on whether it will take action against errant companies under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and is collecting data.
- [7]
The PSI in Singapore hit a season high of 212 in the west at noon on Oct 15; CNA described it as the 24-hour PSI.
- [8]
The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which came into force in September 2014, allows authorities to take legal action against companies responsible for causing or contributing to haze pollution in Singapore, even if their activities take place overseas.
- [9]
At 7 am on Oct 16, the 24-hour PSI in the central region hit a season high of 224.
- [10]
The law targets those responsible for causing or condoning fires if the haze causes the PSI to stay in the unhealthy range in any part of Singapore for 24 hours or more; air quality is considered unhealthy when PSI levels are 101 and above.
- [11]
Grace Fu said: "We are keeping our options open and will give due consideration to the data that we're collecting, and we will share with you in due course."
- [12]
Those found guilty under the Act can be fined up to S$100,000 a day, capped at a total of S$2 million.
- [13]
Singapore has no plantations or forests of its own, but several companies with concessions in Indonesia are reportedly based in the city-state.
- [14]
Syahganda Nainggolan, head of Indonesia's government communication agency, said: "We don't only send haze, the oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia comes from our forests."
- [15]
On Monday an Indonesian official said the country was "still capable of handling it"; by the end of the week Jakarta said it would accept assistance.
- [16]
Haze is complex for Singapore and Malaysia, as they host companies working in Indonesia.
- [17]
Pressure is growing on Jakarta to declare a national disaster, first from civil society groups and now also from Indonesian politicians and neighbours.
- [18]
ASEAN is built on quiet engagement and non-interference, and a meeting of regional foreign ministers in the Philippines is due next month.
- [19]
The 24-hour PSI readings of 212 (Oct 15, west) and 224 (Oct 16, central) are each more than double the unhealthy threshold of 101.
- [20]
The S$2 million total cap equals 20 days of fines at the S$100,000 daily maximum.
- [21]
Singapore is threatening to prosecute companies responsible for some of the worst fires in years in neighbouring Indonesia.
- [22]
In recent years, several attempts to take legal action against the companies exacerbating transboundary haze have failed, both locally and internationally, and posed a diplomatic minefield.
Sources
4 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- businesstimes.com.sgSingapore looking into which companies responsible for haze-causing fires: PM Wong
1 article · October 15, 2026
- channelnewsasia.comSingapore looking into which companies responsible for haze-causing fires, may take legal action: PM Wong
1 article · October 15, 2026
- scmp.comSingapore weighs legal action against companies over worsening transboundary haze
1 article · October 15, 2026
- straitstimes.comS’pore looking into which firms could be responsible for haze-causing fires: PM Wong
1 article · October 15, 2026
- theguardian.com‘Clean air is not a favour’: Indonesia’s neighbours fed up with acrid haze as Singapore threatens to prosecute
1 article · October 16, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Transboundary Haze and Air Quality
- Palm oil industry
- Environmental law enforcement
Entities
- ASEAN
- Greenpeace
- First Borneo Plantations
- Transboundary Haze Pollution Act