Singapore, Indonesia to form task force to pursue firms linked to forest fires
It will coordinate information sharing and investigations into companies potentially responsible for fires
[JAKARTA] Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to establish a joint task force to pursue companies linked to forest and land fires, with cooperation spanning financial intelligence, cross-border evidence gathering and potential asset recovery.
The move comes as the two countries step up efforts to hold businesses accountable for the annual haze.
The task force will coordinate information sharing and investigations into companies potentially responsible for fires, Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir said at a joint press conference with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Jakarta on Tuesday (Oct 27).
Nasir said that Indonesia welcomed Singapore’s offer to share data on companies linked to the fires.
“Smoke can cross borders, so can money,” he noted. “That is why we must follow the money trail these companies have left behind. No border should shield those who profit from burning our forests.”
Balakrishnan pointed out that the task force would ensure close coordination and information sharing between the two countries. He added that Singapore is prepared to exercise its legal and regulatory powers against companies responsible for the haze, including those registered in Singapore. “We are prepared to use an even wider range of legal, regulatory and economic measures to deter future violations by companies.”
The announcement comes as Singapore steps up scrutiny of businesses potentially linked to forest and land fires in Indonesia.
Singapore has issued preventive notices to 10 companies potentially linked to forest and land fires in Indonesia, including firms registered in Singapore, and has pledged to use its full legal and regulatory powers, as well as a wider range of economic measures, to hold responsible companies accountable.
The ministers did not specify when the task force would be established, which agencies would participate or what additional enforcement measures might follow.
Indonesia is also conducting its own investigations into the fires. Nasir said that hundreds of individuals and more than 50 corporations had been investigated or were being investigated and prosecuted, with some found guilty under Indonesian law.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has directed authorities to intensify efforts to tackle the fires and ensure those responsible are held accountable, Nasir added.
Indonesia has mobilised about 71,000 ground personnel and 51 aerial units across priority provinces, deploying measures including water bombing, dry ice and weather modification.
Nasir cited severe El Nino conditions as a challenge to the country’s firefighting efforts.
Both ministers stressed that Indonesians are the first victims of the haze, particularly residents of Sumatra and Kalimantan, where fires and smoke affect communities.
Balakrishnan pointed out that Singapore stands in solidarity with Indonesia and regards the haze as a shared problem requiring collective action. He also acknowledged the efforts of Indonesian firefighters, some of whom had been seriously injured while responding to the fires.
Indonesia has repeatedly experienced severe forest and land fires that generate transboundary haze, with smoke spreading to neighbouring countries, including Singapore, and causing sharp declines in air quality.
The agreement signals a push to strengthen cross-border cooperation beyond immediate firefighting and towards corporate accountability, particularly where businesses and their financial networks extend across national borders.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen communication channels through a hotline at the ministerial and senior-official levels to manage differences more effectively.
Nasir said that the two countries will continue working through established regional mechanisms, including the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
He added the cooperation could eventually extend beyond forest fires to other shared challenges, including under-invoicing, as the two countries seek to strengthen financial integrity.
Balakrishnan is on a two-day visit to Indonesia to meet his newly appointed Indonesian counterpart for their first official meeting. He noted that Singapore has been Indonesia’s largest foreign investor since 2014, reflecting its confidence in the country’s economic future.
The ministers also discussed broader bilateral relations, including trade, investment and regional cooperation, as Singapore prepares to assume the Asean chairmanship in 2027.
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