NEA serves legal notices to 10 S’pore-based companies over possible transboundary haze link

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has served legal notices to 10 Singapore-based companies that may have contributed to the haze in Singapore, it said in a media release from Oct. 23.

Under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), NEA is seeking documents and information on the locations of land concessions they own, as well as fire prevention measures and/or any firefighting efforts taken by them and/or their associated companies in Indonesia during the dry season.

All 10 companies listed are Singapore-registered companies in the palm oil or forestry business that own land concessions in Indonesia or have related companies with such land concessions.

1. Asia Pulp & Paper Company Limited

2. Asia Pulp & Paper Company (China) Limited

3. Bumitama Agri Ltd

4. Golden Agri International Pte Ltd

5. First Resources Ltd

6. Indofood Agri Resources Ltd

7. Kencana Agri Ltd

8. TSH Global Plantation Pte Ltd

9. TSH Oversea Pte Ltd

10. Wilmar International Ltd

NEA said that it was firmly committed to identifying and holding accountable all foreign companies that have caused or contributed to transboundary haze in Singapore under the THPA.

Preventative measure notices

NEA also said it had sent on Oct. 16 and 19 preventive measure notices (PMNs) under Section 9 of the THPA to 10 companies in Indonesia for fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

They are:

1. PT Bumi Andalas Permai (BAP)

2. PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH)

3. PT SBA Wood Industries (SBAWI)

4. PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng (PML)

5. PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah (SAA)

6. PT Hutan Lestari Raya (HLR)

7. PT Bangkanesia (BKN)

8. PT Buana Megatama Jaya (BMJ)

9. PT Mananjung Hayak (MH)

10. PT Baratama Putra Perkasa (BPP)

The notices require the 10 foreign companies to:

• Deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish or prevent the spread of fire on land situated outside of Singapore owned or occupied by them.
• Discontinue or not commence any burning activities on such land
• Submit to NEA any plan of action to extinguish any fire on such land to prevent its spread or recurrence

NEA is also writing to these companies to seek documents and information regarding the occurrence of fires in their concessions, measures taken to put out these fires, as well as the company's linkages with associated companies in Indonesia and Singapore.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Oct. 23 that the move was an important step towards gathering evidence to determine whether companies had contributed to the haze.

“Whether companies are based overseas or registered here in Singapore, we will follow the evidence and take errant companies to task where the evidence supports it.”