PM Wong says Singapore looking into companies behind Indonesia fires: 'Where warranted, we will take action'

Singapore is looking into which companies may be responsible for ongoing forest and peatland fires in Indonesia , said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

"Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and also explore joint action with other countries," the prime minister said in a social media post on Thursday (Oct 15) night.

PM Wong's latest comment on the issue comes a day after Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said Singapore is "keeping our options open" under the Act.

The law criminalises conduct that causes or contributes to haze pollution in Singapore.

Asked by the media on Wednesday, Fu had said that Singapore is collecting data and would review it carefully.

'Please take care of yourself': PM Wong

With the haze worsening, PM Wong urged Singaporeans to "please take care of yourself and those around you", saying the Government would ensure support remains available to those who need it.

PM Wong noted that Singapore is distributing N95 and equivalent masks to vulnerable residents, while making air-conditioned shelters available at community clubs and selected Residents' Network and Residents' Committee centres.

Apart from the mask distribution, the Ministry of Health has also activated the Haze Subsidy Scheme (HSS) and Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) scheme since Oct 12.

With the HSS, eligible Singapore citizens under public assistance will enjoy fully-subsidised care, while seniors who are from the Pioneer and Merdeka generations will pay no more than $5.

Other groups of eligible Singaporeans will have their fees capped at $10.

The following groups of Singapore citizens are eligible for the subsidy at Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs):

Children aged 18 and below.

Elderly aged 65 and above.

Individuals who are on public assistance, Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation, Community Health Assist Scheme's (CHAS) blue and orange cardholders, and medical fee exemption card.

Air-conditioned haze shelters at community clubs and selected Residents' Network and Residents' Committee centres have also been activated for those who may need to seek respite from the haze.

Singapore offers assistance to Indonesia

PM Wong also reiterated that Singapore has offered its assistance to Indonesia and will continue working closely with Indonesia and its ASEAN partners to address the issue.

The fires, he said, have been made worse by an extended dry period.

According to the sustainability and environment minister, the assistance is "general", and in any form that Indonesia considers to be suitable and needed.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said on Oct 15 that the matter has been discussed and is currently being processed.

"As we know, the President (Prabowo Subianto) has already expressed his approval, and the matter is currently under discussion at the technical level,” Arrmanatha told reporters in central Jakarta.

The Southeast Asian nation is facing intense criticism as it struggles to control its most intense wildfires since 2015 after an El Niño-driven drought turned forests and land highly flammable .

Prabowo has also named army general Kristomei Sianturi as the new head of disaster mitigation agency BNPB , the main body in charge of the firefighting efforts.

Said PM Wong: "We cannot control the weather or the winds, nor can we directly control what happens beyond our borders.

"But we will do everything we can to protect Singaporeans, while working with our neighbours to address the underlying causes of the haze."

新加坡总理黄循财表示，新加坡正在调查哪些公司可能应对印尼持续发生的森林和泥炭地火灾负责。

“在必要情况下，我们将根据新加坡的《跨境烟霾污染法》采取行动，并探讨与其他国家采取联合行动，”总理在周四（10月15日）晚间的社交媒体帖子中表示。

黄循财总理就此问题发表最新评论的前一天，可持续发展与环境部长傅海燕表示，新加坡将根据该法案“保留多种选择”。

新加坡法律将造成或加剧雾霾污染的行为定为犯罪行为。

周三，傅海燕在接受媒体采访时表示，新加坡正在收集数据，并将认真审查。

黄循财总理：请保重身体

随着雾霾加剧，黄循财总理敦促新加坡民众“请照顾好自己和身边的人”，并表示政府将确保继续为有需要的人提供支持。

黄总理指出，新加坡正在向弱势居民分发N95口罩和同等防护等级的口罩，同时在民众俱乐部和部分居民网络及居民委员会中心提供空调避难所。

除了分发口罩外，卫生部自 10 月 12 日起还启动了雾霾补贴计划 (HSS) 和公共卫生准备诊所 (PHPC) 计划。

有了 HSS，符合条件的领取公共援助的新加坡公民将享受全额补贴的护理，而建国一代和独立一代的老年人只需支付不超过 5 新元的费用。

其他符合条件的新加坡公民的费用上限为 10 美元。

以下新加坡公民群体有资格在公共卫生应急诊所（PHPC）获得补贴：

18岁及以下儿童。

65岁及以上的老年人。

领取公共援助金的人士、建国一代、独立一代、社区健康援助计划（CHAS）蓝卡和橙卡持有者以及医疗费用豁免卡持有者。

社区俱乐部和部分居民网络及居民委员会中心也已启用空调雾霾避难所，供有需要躲避雾霾的人士使用。

新加坡向印度尼西亚提供援助

黄循财总理也重申，新加坡已向印尼提供援助，并将继续与印尼及其东盟伙伴密切合作，解决这一问题。

他说，持续的干旱加剧了火灾的严重程度。

据可持续发展和环境部长称，援助是“一般性的”，形式可以是印尼认为合适和需要的任何形式。

与此同时，印尼外交部长阿尔马纳塔·纳西尔于10月15日表示，此事已经讨论过，目前正在处理中。

“据我们所知，总统（普拉博沃·苏比安托）已经表示批准，目前此事正在技术层面进行讨论，”阿曼纳塔在雅加达市中心告诉记者。

这个东南亚国家正面临着强烈的批评，因为厄尔尼诺现象引发的干旱使森林和土地变得极易燃烧，该国正努力控制自 2015 年以来最严重的野火。

普拉博沃还任命陆军上将克里斯托梅·西安图里为灾害缓解机构BNPB的新负责人，该机构是负责消防工作的主要机构。

黄之锋总理说：“我们无法控制天气或风向，也无法直接控制境外发生的事情。”

“但我们将竭尽所能保护新加坡人民，同时与邻国合作，解决雾霾的根本原因。”