Indonesia, Singapore to establish joint task force to hold companies accountable for forest fires

By Aamir Latif

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to establish a joint task force to hold companies accountable for forest fires, as the two countries seek to strengthen cooperation against transboundary haze and tackle deliberate burning blamed for the blazes, local media reported Tuesday.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir and his visiting Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan in Jakarta, The Straits Times reported.

The proposed task force would facilitate information sharing, financial intelligence and cross-border evidence gathering, as well as the possible recovery of assets linked to companies responsible for the fires.

The move comes amid renewed concerns over forest and land fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan regions, which have sent thick haze across parts of Southeast Asia.

At home, President Prabowo Subianto has ordered tougher action against companies implicated in the fires, local English-language daily Jakarta Globe reported.

At a joint press briefing following two hours of talks, the Indonesian foreign minister said Singapore had offered to share data on companies linked to the fires, an offer Jakarta welcomed as a “valuable opportunity.”

“Smoke can cross borders, so can money. That is why we must follow the money trail these companies have left behind,” he said. “No border should shield those who profit from burning our forests.”

Indonesians, Arrmanatha added, were the first to suffer from the fires, particularly communities in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“The first victims of these fires are Indonesians. It is our farmers, our children and our families in Sumatra and Kalimantan who have to breathe the smoke first,” he said.

Balakrishnan, for his part, said he had discussed with his counterpart how Singapore would take action against companies responsible for the haze.

“I can assure you that we will use every legal and regulatory power available to us, and we are ready to use legal and regulatory measures, as well as economic instruments, to stop future violations by companies,” he said.

The two countries, he added, would coordinate closely on enforcement action and information sharing to prevent future violations.

“We are in effect putting all the companies on notice that the joint task force will ensure that there is a very close coordination of actions and sharing of information between Indonesia and Singapore, and we expect, therefore, the deterrence impact of this joint task force to make a difference.”

Relations between the two countries have recently been strained by Jakarta’s unexpected decision to reduce natural gas supplies to the city-state.

Amir Latif Arain