Indonesia Firms Face Singapore Action Over Haze Fires
Singapore has sent enforcement letters to three Indonesian firms over haze-linked fires, bringing the total facing proceedings there to 10.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Singapore has issued enforcement letters to three more Indonesian companies over smoke linked to fires in Kalimantan, sharpening cross-border pressure as Indonesia’s chief security minister acknowledged corporate involvement in forest and land fires. The new letters bring to 10 the number of Indonesian companies facing legal proceedings in Singapore, according to the report cited in the source article.
Indonesia has not declared the fires a national disaster. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurrahman said the response was already being handled at a national scale, while Singapore’s environmental agency has ordered the newly named companies to take action on their concession areas.
Three companies receive Singapore letters
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) sent letters on Monday, Oct. 19, to PT Buana Megatama Jaya, PT Mananjung Hayak and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The letters concern smoke from fires in Kalimantan that spread to Singapore and were indicated as originating from the companies’ concession areas, according to the NEA.
Mananjung Hayak operates in the palm oil plantation sector. The other two companies are pulp plantation firms. The agency instructed them to deploy firefighting personnel to tackle fires on their land and comply with an action plan for prevention.
The action illustrates how fires within Indonesia can trigger enforcement steps in a neighboring country when smoke crosses borders. The companies have been linked to suspected sources of the haze; that identification should not be confused with a final court finding. Their response to the letters and their work to control fires on concession land will be relevant to any further action.
Dudung cites corporate involvement
Speaking at the Peruri Digital Summit 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday, Oct. 21, Dudung said ordinary residents were not solely responsible for the fires. He alleged that corporations and outside parties were involved, but the source material did not identify those outside parties or provide evidence supporting that claim.
“These fires are not necessarily caused by ordinary people, but there is corporate involvement and outside parties deliberately creating the conditions. If it is declared a national disaster, there will certainly be parties who exploit the situation for personal gain,” Dudung said.
He said the government had avoided declaring a national disaster because such a status could be exploited by certain parties for personal interests. The account of his remarks did not provide details of the legal basis or criteria for that decision.
Dudung said the response was continuing nationally and that Japan, Malaysia and Singapore had offered assistance. Japan had deployed a Chinook helicopter, he said, but the effort had not been enough to contain the scale of the fires.
Seven other firms remain under scrutiny
Singapore Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu previously said satellite imagery and meteorological data had identified seven other companies linked to haze originating in Sumatra. They are Bumi Andalas Permai, Bumi Mekar Hijau, Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, Paramitra Mulia Langgeng, Sumatera Alam Anugerah, Hutan Lestari Raya and Bangkanesia.
Fu said Singapore was monitoring the seven companies and had not received responses from them. She said any action would be based on available evidence.
“We are committed to investigating all companies found responsible for causing transboundary haze in Singapore. We will not hesitate to take firm action under the THPA based on the evidence available,” Fu said.
The letters were issued under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA). Further legal steps will depend on the companies’ responses, firefighting efforts on their concessions and the results of the investigations.
