With the haze affecting Singapore for well over a month now, and conditions in Kalimantan and Sumatra, where the haze originates, resulting in dystopian scenes, there has been no shortage of people casting about for parties to blame.

Worse yet, the Kalimantan and Sumatran forest fires aren’t even the only major crises the country is facing this week, with MSCI, a global index provider, threatening to remove Indonesia from its emerging-market classification, a devastating move.

With the twin crises, one man has found a solution: former Indonesian trade minister and ambassador to the United States Muhammad Lutfi suggests blaming Singapore and Malaysia.

But who is Lutfi, what is he accusing Singapore of, and why are his own countrymen calling his claims “nonsensical”?

Two-time Lutfi

Muhammad Lutfi served as Indonesia’s trade minister in two stints, once in 2014, and again between 2020 and 2022.

His first stint came at the end of former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's final term, leaving office in October 2014 as incoming president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed his own cabinet.

But it was his second stint that ended in a bit of controversy.

Lutfi’s return to cabinet came as part of Jokowi’s COVID reshuffle.

He was ambassador to the United States at the time, called back after a few months to fill the trade role.

When he was named ambassador to the US months earlier, The Diplomat wrote that Lutfi was described as a “seasoned player in business”, noting that he had interests in “finance, mining, and media.”

Palm oil mafia

But he was himself reshuffled out of the cabinet within two years, during a crisis involving rising domestic palm oil prices as reported by the South China Morning Post in 2022.

Lutfi tried to get palm oil prices back under control, with the administration going as far as to enact an export ban on palm oil, which did not seem to solve the problem and shocked global markets.

Earlier, he had blamed an amorphous “palm oil mafia” and speculators for exploiting high palm oil prices, as reported by Reuters.

He did so during a “heated” six-hour parliamentary hearing, where he was accused of “panic policymaking” after his ministry had changed regulations six times in less than three months.

At the time, the SCMP spoke to a local expert, Dodi Ambardi from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, who said that the trade ministry under Lutfi’s leadership had been accused of “flip-flopping” on policy and that it “revealed chaotic policymaking.”

Ambardi suggested that this was a relevant consideration in Lutfi’s removal, although he also acknowledged that Lutfi was a technocratic hire and had no political party, meaning that his removal would lack political consequences.

But that was not the end of the saga.

Questioning in corruption case

In 2023, Lutfi was questioned by Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office as a witness in a corruption case related to export permits for crude palm oil.

The Jakarta Post said that on Aug. 9, 2023, Lutfi was questioned for eight hours, and that the summons was his second, as he had missed an earlier summons ostensibly due to his wife needing to visit the doctor.

The case concerned allegations that export permits for crude palm oil had been improperly issued despite domestic shortages between 2021 and 2022.

Five individuals were eventually convicted, resulting in their being sentenced to imprisonment for between five and eight years, most notably Lutfi’s director-general of foreign trade.

Social media flurry

Lutfi was active on social media, posting short clips of himself giving opinions and campaigning for then-candidate Prabowo Subianto, who would eventually become Indonesia’s president, but appears to have stopped posting around October 2024.

His Instagram account covers his time as minister, while his TikTok account postdates that time.

That changed on Oct. 19, when he returned to the platforms with a flurry of posts, seven videos in four days.

The first was a screed targeting the Singapore government and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

He also took aim at the "architect of Singapore's legal enforcement", Senior Minister K Shanmugam, daring him to take action against the "billionaires" and large companies headquartered in Singapore.

This was despite Shanmugam having declared on the same day Singapore's intention to use "every legal and regulatory lever at [its] disposal to exert pressure where it matters".

Malaysian politicians too

In several of the videos, he takes aim at not just Singapore, but also Malaysia, saying that Indonesia was being made a “mockery” by a “neighbouring country that has enjoyed our agricultural produce for decades.”

He’s also taken aim at Malaysian parliamentarian and former youth minister Syed Saddiq, sharing clips of Syed speaking in parliament, accusing him of exploiting the haze for political points.

Syed replied by accusing Lutfi of misrepresenting what he had said, and of cutting his speech “to the point that you cut out the truth.”

"Nonsensical"

Lutfi has also decided to lay the blame for Indonesia’s other crisis, that of its stock market, squarely at Singapore’s feet.

He has accused Singapore’s state investors Temasek and GIC of instigating a recent stock market rout, and pressuring global index provider MSCI to threaten to downgrade Indonesia’s market status, something that both Temasek and GIC denied.

According to Bloomberg, Fock Wai Hoong, Temasek Global Investments’ head of Asia-Pacific excluding China and India, said Lutfi’s accusations “have no basis and are patently untrue.”

But it's not just the two Singaporean state investors that are saying that Lutfi’s accusations make no sense: a former deputy foreign minister, Dino Patti Djalal, called the conspiracy theory “nonsensical", though he did not name Lutfi specifically.

Dino, coincidentally, served as deputy foreign minister around the same time as Lutfi's first ministerial stint in 2014, and was also an ambassador to the United States.

He said Singapore was a country with “goodwill, trust, and a long-tested track record of cooperation with Indonesia,” pointing out previous occasions where Singapore had aided Indonesia, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic or the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

He also noted the several Singaporean investments in Indonesia, and that Singapore had a vital interest in the economic stability of Indonesia as it was affected by crises in its larger neighbour.

Scrutiny?

But do Lutfi’s accusations stand up to scrutiny? 

It really depends, because Lutfi makes a flurry of accusations over several videos.

On the one hand, he says that “Singapore has no jurisdiction in Indonesia, and you know it," which no one is denying.

He then goes on to accuse the companies involved of siphoning money via family offices to Singapore.

He then rhetorically asks rich Indonesian families whether they are “safe” in Singapore, implying that they are at risk of being targeted for causing the haze, right after saying that the Singapore government would never target Indonesian tycoons residing in Singapore. 

Similarly in the MSCI issue, he makes wild accusations that imply Singapore has an unimaginably powerful footprint in the world, able to force a global company with thousands of clients to its whim, yet regarding the haze, is unwilling to move against a few foreign billionaires. 

Each accusation is individually unlikely, but simultaneously impossible.

"Always believed"

Perhaps the most damning rebuttal has come from none other than the chief of the organisation that Lutfi suggests is most affected by his conspiracy theory, Jeffrey Hendrik, the president director of the Indonesian Stock Exchange.

Responding to press outside the IDX building in Jakarta, The Straits Times and IDN Financials reports quote Hendrik as saying, “We have always believed, and continue to believe, that global index providers are independent.”

So while Indonesia’s president Prabowo voiced concerns that his country was being intimidated, the president director of the stock exchange is clear: any action taken by those index providers is based on a decision made by them alone.

As for Lutfi, it is unclear what has caused his sudden outburst of social media productivity, but he has clearly shown that he intends to use his platform to voice an ever more nationalistic narrative.

The Singapore government intends to introduce legislation early next year to strengthen safeguards for young social media users, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said on Oct. 24.

The legislation will focus on age assurance and safer platform features.

Age measures, safety platform features

Under age assurance, social media platforms will be required to implement effective age measures so that safeguards meant for young users can be applied.

These measures must be implemented in accordance to obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA), said MDDI.

As for safety platform features, the government is looking at making social media safer-by-design.

According to MDDI, this includes restrictions on inappropriate content, unwanted contact, and platform features such as autoplay and daily time limit.

In an earlier report, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said the government was looking at getting social media platforms to turn off autoplay by default, with parents having the option of adjusting that setting.

She was speaking at an interview with the media on Aug. 28, following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally (NDR) speech on Aug. 23, in which he highlighted the need to make social media safer for young children.

Stronger protections

Autoplay is a function on social media platforms where media automatically loads without the user requesting playback.

Citing a Jul. 30 report by the expert panel convened by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the mental health impact of social media use, Teo said the panel flagged certain features as potentially exposing users to safety risks.

This includes direct messaging functions, infinite scroll and autoplay functions, or algorithmically curated feeds.

Parents and youth were found to support a graduated approach to social media access for children, the MDDI stated.

It added that they favour stronger protections for younger children and age-appropriate access with safeguards as they mature, rather than an outright ban.

MDDI had previously engaged over 2,000 parents and youth from June 2026 to August 2026 on several topics.

These included young people's social media use, online risks, and a tiered approach to social media access.

MDDI further noted that excessive use was ranked high among the top five concerns for both parents and youth.

Online Safety Assessment Report

On Oct. 24, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) also released its first Online Safety Assessment Report (OSAR) on Designated App Distribution Services (D-ADSs).

The OSAR covers the reporting period from Apr. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2025.

IMDA said in a media release that ADSs, also known as app stores, allow people to access apps and online content.

The five D-ADSs are Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery, Microsoft Store comprising five storefronts, and Samsung Galaxy Store.

IMDA added that Singapore is among the first in the world to regulate app stores for online safety and provide a comprehensive assessment report on their online safety measures.

IMDA used information from D-ADSs' annual online safety reports to IMDA, together with IMDA's own mystery shopper testing, direct testing, and operational data, to assess whether the D-ADSs' measures were present, comprehensive, and effective.

Age assurance measures, shopper testing

The report assessed the effectiveness of a few factors, including age assurance (AA) measures and enhanced protection for children.

It also assessed safety measures to remove egregious and harmful apps, safety measures to assign appropriate age ratings to apps, as well as user reporting and resolution measures.

Despite all designated app stores having baseline safety measures in place, IMDA found that a small percentage of Huawei AppGallery users were able to circumvent the AA method used.

But following IMDA's engagement, Huawei has committed to working with the authority to address the issue.

In conducting mystery shopper testing of over 7,000 apps across the designated app stores, IMDA found 65 apps containing harmful content violating the app stores' own policies and 24 apps which were wrongly age-rated.

The apps were removed or re-rated after the app stores were notified by IMDA.

Responding to media queries, an IMDA spokesperson said: "Of the 65 apps that were removed for containing harmful content, 59 contained sexual content, four contained violent content, and two contained content facilitating vice and organised crime."

"Separately, of the 24 apps that were mis-rated, 14 contained sexual content, three contained violent content, and seven contained content facilitating vice and organised crime."

Since the ADS Code was previously introduced in March 2025, IMDA noted that the five D-ADS have stepped up efforts to implement online safety measures for Singapore users.

"Following the report findings, IMDA has informed the D-ADSs on the identified areas of weaknesses. They acknowledged these areas and have either rectified them or are working towards solutions to address them.

IMDA will continue to work with the D-ADSs to ensure that these measures are effectively implemented and that identified gaps are addressed."

Online safety curriculum in pre-schools

IMDA has also been working to promote healthy digital habits across all levels of education.

Recognising that a strong foundation starts early, IMDA said it is partnering with government-supported pre-schools to introduce lessons about healthy digital habits into their curriculum.

IMDA had first piloted the online safety curriculum with over 100 Kindergarten 2 (K2) students from E-bridge pre-school, one of Singapore's Anchor Operator (AOP) Pre-Schools.

This curriculum, which will be rolled out across all E-Bridge pre-school centres islandwide, will reach nearly 3,000 K1 and K2 students across 30 centres from December 2026.

IMDA said it will continue to engage the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and reach out to more pre-school operators in 2027.

The agency's annual Digital for Life festival will be held at VivoCity from Oct. 24 to 25 and at Heartbeat@Bedok from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

Singapore's tap water remains safe to drink even though rainwater collected during hazy conditions may contain higher levels of particles, said Environment Minister Grace Fu.

In an Instagram post on Oct. 24, Fu said she visited national water agency PUB's Water Quality Lab to learn more about how the haze is affecting rainwater and whether drinking water is affected.

This comes after photos and videos circulating online showed rainwater collected in pails after a downpour on Oct. 15 appearing greyish and blackish.

Rainwater can pick up airborne particles

PUB collected four water samples on Oct. 17, when the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 193: rainwater from Kranji, rainwater from Ulu Pandan, runoff from Yew Tee, and tap water.

The tests showed that rainwater collected during hazy conditions may be slightly more acidic and contain higher levels of particles and organic matter, Fu said.

This is because airborne particles and other substances can be picked up by rainwater as it falls.

However, the extent of discolouration depended on whether the rainwater was collected directly or from runoff.

Fu also stressed that rainwater should not be used for cooking, drinking or personal hygiene, even when collected in non-hazy conditions.

Tap water not affected

Water collected in reservoirs does not go straight to taps, Fu said.

Instead, it goes through several stages of treatment to remove particles and impurities.

"Our water treatment processes can filter our particles up to hundred times smaller than PM 2.5. So, rest assured that the PM 2.5 haze particles will be removed," she affirmed.

PUB has also stepped up checks on water quality during the haze, and the tests have not found anything unusual, she added.

"While the blackish water seems worrying, our tap water remains safe and clean to drink."

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A post shared by Grace Fu (@gracefu.hy)

A family doctor from Taiwan has been unable to practise medicine after moving to Singapore to be with his family.

Hsu Cheng Yuan, 48, has yet to become a registered doctor in Singapore because he has not been able to secure a slot for the final stage of his assessment.

However, he has chosen to dedicate his time to caring for his two young children as a stay-at-home dad, while spending his remaining time volunteering at a local community hospital.

Moved to Singapore

Hsu's story was shared on YouTube channel Glimmer in Life, which is run by the Tzu-Chi Foundation in Singapore.

According to the nearly 13-minute documentary, he previously worked as an attending physician in the family medicine department of a public hospital in Taiwan.

Hsu's wife Maeda Momoe is now a doctor in Singapore after graduating from Duke-NUS Medical School.

The couple met in the U.S. when Momoe was a Duke-NUS student.

They were in a long-distance relationship before they got married and started a family.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hsu and his children were separated from Momoe for another few years due to travel restrictions.

The family eventually reunited and settled down in Singapore.

Unable to become a registered doctor after years

While Hsu wanted to continue his passion and work as a registered doctor in Singapore, he faced an unexpected obstacle.

Hsu has passed the first and second stages, but has had difficulty getting a slot for the third one which is a clinical practical exam.

Quota for clinical practical exams are limited — Hsu said that he applied twice but was unsuccessful both times.

In the meantime, Hsu decided to shift his focus: to his young family, and to serving the local patients in a different way.

Stay-at-home dad

While his wife works, Hsu cares for his children by preparing meals and ferrying them to and from school.

He shared that he learnt a few recipes on YouTube, including a Taiwanese favourite, braised pork rice.

Despite his young age, Hsu's son shared in the video that he is aware his father moved from Taiwan to Singapore "because he missed his mum".

The boy also proudly showed the production team a "film" his father made using Lego bricks and toys.

In his spare time, Hsu continues to prepare for his exams but he feels that age is catching up with him.

"Mentally and physically, I just can't keep up like I did when I was younger," he said. "There were many times when I felt like giving up."

Mixed emotions

The halt to Hsu's career has not been easy for him to accept.

Having to give up the patients he had invested effort into in Taiwan, as well as watching former classmates climb the career ladder, created "a very complex mix of emotions" for him.

To Momoe, her husband's sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

"It was really not an easy decision for him to make," she acknowledged.

"Before, perhaps because he was a doctor...helping patients gave him a real sense of achievement.

But now that he's suddenly stopped working and is a stay-at-home dad, he sometimes wonders what on earth is he doing.

It's as if he can't quite find that sense of purpose."

Hsu shared that Momoe tried different ways to cheer him up, especially during a period when he felt constantly anxious.

One thing he fondly remembers her saying was, "Even housewives contribute to a country's GDP," he shared with a laugh.

Hsu considered continuing to practise in Taiwan on a part-time basis, but what keeps him going is simply the desire to spend more time with his children.

He said that he has two more years left to clear his third stage of assessment, which has a total timeframe of six years to complete.

Finding purpose through volunteering

Every two weeks on Wednesday, Hsu volunteers at Yishun Community Hospital.

His role mainly involves chatting with patients and caring for their needs where he can, but Hsu quipped that when he first started out, he found himself talking to patients like a doctor.

Particularly in the geriatric ward, a field of medicine that was once his specialty, he would check on elderly patients' conditions the way he used to.

"At first, I wasn't quite sure what to do. Even though I was still in a hospital ward, I'd suddenly taken on the role of a volunteer."

But Hsu soon learnt to look past seeing them as patients and simply as people, by simply chatting with and getting to know their interests better.

Volunteering has enabled him to "let go of much of the sense of self that I had built up in the past," Hsu said.

Other than volunteering in the hospital, he also values the opportunity to give health talks to local residents, particularly the elderly.

"I may not be using my skills as a doctor to make money, but I'm delighted to have this opportunity to put my expertise to good use and help people."

Singapore is now home to him, and he hopes to instil in his children the belief that difficulties can be overcome.

"Nothing is set in stone."

A tree at a courtyard outside Margaret Drive Hawker Centre in Queenstown caught fire in the evening of Oct. 22.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the fire at about 6:50pm at Block 38A Margaret Drive.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A video uploaded to TikTok showed flames on a branch of the tree in a courtyard outside the hawker centre.

A firefighter was seen standing on a staircase landing near the tree, trying to put out the fire with a hose reel and water jet.

Several passers-by were also seen taking photos and videos nearby.

UPDATE on Oct. 24, 5:42pm: This article was updated with a statement from MOM.

The Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) has engaged 230 migrant workers from two companies over alleged unpaid salaries, according to a media statement dated Oct. 23.

The workers are from Process Maintenance Solutions Pte. Ltd. and Jurong Technical & Construction Pte. Ltd.

Close to 240 migrant workers went without pay for up to 2 months

Member of Parliament Desmond Choo shared in an Instagram post that close to 240 migrant workers in the process sector have gone without pay for up to two months.

In the statement, NTUC's Director of Migrant Workers Segment, Michael Lim, said it is aware of the unpaid salary claims and met the workers at its recreation centres on Oct. 19 and 20.

The aim was to understand their concerns and needs, including those relating to salary claims, food, housing and employment.

"We recognise that unpaid salaries can cause significant hardship for migrant workers, affecting their daily essentials and the families who depend on their income."

Lim said the MWC is helping the workers file claims for unpaid salaries, including overtime pay, with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).

It will also support them through the Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund and is working with employment agency partners to explore suitable employment and transition assistance.

Job matching assistance and help with salary claims being provided

In his Instagram post, Choo said that along with MWC, the 230 workers also met the Ministry of Manpower's ACE Group on Oct. 19 and 20.

Close to 90 workers are receiving daily meals, and MWC is working with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to arrange centralised accommodation.

Job matching assistance is also being conducted to help the workers find suitable employment, and help is being provided with salary claims, including overtime pay, and financial assistance where needed.

Some workers paid up to S$12,000 to work in Singapore

Choo said almost all of the workers are sole breadwinners, and that every missed payday affects their families back home as well.

In a reel accompanying the post, an NTUC representative said many of the workers are from Bangladesh and came to work in Singapore's process sector.

Some arrived only in July. They paid as much as S$12,000 to come to Singapore and are still waiting to receive their salaries.

Workers who cannot find new jobs may have to return home, and they will receive more support in the coming weeks.

Employers urged to make timely salary payments

Lim urged employers to fulfil their obligations by making timely salary payments.

It encouraged migrant workers who are owed salaries or facing workplace issues to come forward early for guidance and assistance.

They can approach MWC via its 24-hour helpline at 6536 2692. The statement was attributed to Michael Lim, Director of the Migrant Workers Segment at NTUC.

Choo's post said workers deserve to be paid for their hard work, and urged people who know of a migrant worker facing salary issues to encourage them to call the helpline.

Investigations ongoing: MOM

In a statement, MOM said it is aware of the salary arrears involving migrant workers employed by the two companies.

MOM is working closely with MWC and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) to assist the affected workers with their salary claims and immediate needs, including accommodation and alternative employment arrangements.

MOM added that it takes a serious view of non-payment of salaries, and investigations into the companies are ongoing.

If breaches of employment laws are established, appropriate enforcement action will be taken.

The estranged father of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has been embroiled in child pornography allegations.

Meghan has said she is "deeply distressed" over the allegations surrounding her father, Thomas Markle, and that she was informed of separate allegations about him in 2018.

Thomas, 82, denies the allegations, according to the BBC, The Sun and People. Authorities in the Philippines and the U.S. are looking into the matter, the BBC reported.

Material found in his Philippines home

The allegations were first reported by The Sun on Oct. 22.

Thomas' son and Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, allegedly found material containing child sexual abuse at his father's former home in Cebu, the Philippines, and reported it to authorities there and in the U.S.

Thomas Jr. told The Sun that he had allegedly found four large boxes, which contained "hundreds, if not thousands" of child pornographic images.

He claimed to have found videos of girls no older than 10 or 11 years old engaged in sexual acts, as well as a 15-minute video of naked girls on his father's old phone.

The elder Markle told the Daily Mail on Oct. 23 that he could never do what he is being accused of.

He said he was shocked, hurt and very upset that his son was making these accusations.

Investigations underway by local police and FBI

A Philippine Department of Justice official told BBC that a task force on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation in Cebu is investigating the case.

The country's Interior Minister said police had secured Thomas' computer for forensic examination, with results expected in about a week.

The FBI said it is aware of the allegations and will support Philippine authorities. It added that it will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law.

London's Metropolitan Police Service is not investigating the elder Markle. The force is carrying out an internal inquiry into whether its royal protection unit passed the 2018 letter to Meghan, according to BBC.

Asked whether King Charles knew of the letter, Buckingham Palace declined to comment and said it was a matter for the Sussexes, People reported.

Kept her children away from father

In a statement shared with The Sun and People, Meghan said her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed.

She said a letter containing "troubling and disturbing" allegations about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018.

It was later shared with her, and she was assured the allegations were being investigated.

She said the distance she kept from her father was to protect her children.

“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them."

She added that she trusted the authorities were doing the same for other families.

"The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine," Meghan said, and reiterated that her priority was the safety and protection of innocent children.

Estranged from father since 2018

Meghan and her father have been estranged since the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.

BBC reported that he was found to have accepted payment from photographers to stage pictures of himself preparing for the wedding.

He later pulled out of the ceremony, citing health problems, and Meghan was walked down the aisle by then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.

The letter was shared with Meghan after the wedding, according to The Sun. Sources close to the Sussexes said she could not speak publicly at the time, to avoid jeopardising any future investigation.

Thomas moved to the Philippines in 2025 after a series of strokes, according to BBC.

However, he is reportedly now residing in a rehabilitation centre in Florida after having a leg amputated in December 2025.

Indonesia will begin cutting natural gas exports to Singapore by 31 billion British thermal units per day (BBTUD) from Oct. 24, said SKK Migas chief Djoko Siswanto.

He made the announcement on Oct. 23, on the sidelines of an energy industry awards ceremony in Jakarta.

SKK Migas is Indonesia's upstream oil and gas regulator.

The announcement came just a day after Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia threatened to stop energy exports to countries that "disrespect" it, though he did not name any specific country or dispute.

Only Singapore affected by cuts

According to CNBC Indonesia, exports from Natuna would be reduced by 15 BBTUD, while another 16 BBTUD would be cut from supplies originating in Sumatra.

According to Djoko, only Singapore would be affected by the cuts, as the relevant export pipelines are connected directly to the island.

Plans to trim gas exports to Singapore are not new.

Indonesia has long planned to scale back gas exports to Singapore for several years as domestic demand grows, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

Jakarta agreed in 2022 to extend supplies to 2028, albeit at lower volumes, and in April 2025, Djoko said exports from Sumatra would be cut, with Natuna supplies filling the gap, ST reported, citing Reuters.

In Parliament in September 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong said Indonesia is one of Singapore's main sources of natural gas imports.

Stopping exports to countries that "disrespect" Indonesia

Earlier on Oct. 22, Bahlil said Jakarta would review its energy export agreements with countries that did not respect Indonesia.

"I will not hesitate to consider stopping exports to countries that do not respect Indonesia," he said.

He added that he would "conduct an evaluation" of Indonesia's current energy export contracts.

He also urged countries with issues with Indonesia to discuss them amicably and resolve them on the principle of mutual respect.

On Oct. 21, Bahlil also said he may consider not extending gas exports to neighbouring countries as Indonesia is in "survival mode".

"So, if other countries have different perspectives for us, they should be careful. I may also consider not extending my gas exports to neighbouring countries," he said. "Because we have to survive, we must first meet our domestic needs."

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.”

The Singapore government will seek to identify and hold accountable companies that may be responsible for, or have contributed to, the fires causing haze in Singapore, announced the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) in a press release from Oct. 23.

MinLaw said it will examine the conduct of local and foreign companies, as well as their relationships and supply chains, to establish whether they have been involved in causing or condoning the fires that contributed to the haze.

These companies will be required to provide complete access to information and other relevant facts about their operations, supply chains and corporate group structures to ensure that they are not involved in causing or condoning the fires.

Specialist panel created

To facilitate this, the Singapore government will create a Specialist Panel of experts comprising law firms, audit firms and investigative firms with expertise in cross-border inquiries and investigations.

"Companies identified by the government will be required to engage professionals from the panel to conduct thorough inquiries into their operations, corporate relationships, and supply chains, and to submit thorough audits to the Government," as mentioned in the press release.

The panel will assist the government to establish the facts, which includes where complex corporate structures and commercial arrangements span multiple jurisdictions.

Local law firm Davinder Singh Chambers (DSC LLC) has been appointed as advisor to the government.

Its role is to advise on coordinating the work of the panel experts, to ensure the necessary inquiries and investigations are properly conducted across different jurisdictions.

The findings of these inquiries will be assessed by the relevant government agencies and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Other regulatory agencies in Singapore, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the National Environment Agency will be following up on this matter.

More details will be released in the coming week.