A fine way to fight haze

THIS year's haze problem has provoked more anger and frustration than any previous episode in the areas that it has afflicted. The public knows that a relatively small number of individuals and companies, for the sake of their own convenience and profit, take it upon themselves year after year to damage the health and livelihood of tens of millions of people and harm entire national economies. They want firm action taken to end the problem once and for all.

Both Singapore and Indonesia have legislation that allows them to act. Among the main measures they can take to combat the haze problem is to identify the companies responsible for setting fires, with a view to prosecuting and penalising them.

It is a necessary and appropriate step, but not without its problems. It requires that those responsible be accurately identified, but Indonesia is unwilling to share detailed maps showing land ownership in the regions where the fires are occurring, though it assures Singapore that it is using them in carrying on its own investigations.