Shanmugam calls Indonesian official's 'oxygen' remarks disappointing, welcomes Prabowo's actions on haze

The transboundary haze is "not simply an act of nature", but a problem driven by companies pursuing profits, said Senior Minister K Shanmugam on Monday (Oct 19).

Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam speaking to the media at Woodlands Checkpoint on Oct 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ili Mansor)

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SINGAPORE: Senior Minister K Shanmugam on Monday (Oct 19) expressed disappointment over an Indonesian official's remarks that Singapore gets its oxygen from Indonesia's forests when there is no haze, saying such comments were "not right" when people across the region are suffering from the effects of forest fires.

However, Mr Shanmugam welcomed Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's efforts to tackle the transboundary haze crisis .

Mr Shanmugam, who is coordinating minister for national security and minister for home affairs, was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a visit to Woodlands Checkpoint, where he met officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

"Frankly, it is not right to say this, when this entire region is suffering as a result of the bad behaviour of companies breaching regulations in Indonesia, and the people suffering the most are Indonesians themselves," he said of the Indonesian official's remarks.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Mr Shanmugam added that he did not believe the official’s view was widely shared within the country’s government or among the broader public, pointing to reactions to the remarks. "We shouldn't have to put up with this," he said.

Mr Shanmugam added that he did not believe the official’s view was widely shared within the country’s government or among the broader public, pointing to reactions to the remarks. "We shouldn't have to put up with this," he said.

The comments come after Indonesia’s Government Communications Agency head Syahganda Nainggolan on Oct 10 defended the country against criticism over transboundary haze, saying: "We're not just sending over the haze. When there's no haze, we send oxygen. The oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia comes from our forests, right?"

He added that the forest fires are "beyond human error" and a natural phenomenon.

Mr Shanmugam said the smog caused by the burning was "entirely preventable", adding that responsibility for the problem must be clearly established.

Recalling Singapore's haze episodes in 2013 and 2015, Mr Shanmugam reiterated that the problem was "not simply an act of nature", but one driven by companies pursuing profits.

"We haven't had the problem for some years, but now it has returned,” he said.

Motorists drive through haze from wildfires in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Oct 14, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Arief Rahman Septian Prathama)

PRABOWO'S EFFORTS TO TACKLE HAZE

Mr Shanmugam also acknowledged the steps taken by Mr Prabowo and his administration to address the haze situation.

He highlighted that Mr Prabowo has replaced the head of the agency responsible for firefighting and disaster relief , put in place directives against slash-and-burn practices on peatland, and prioritised fire prevention as a long-term solution.

"The president has personally expressed commitment to tackling that case," said Mr Shanmugam.

"Some of these steps are quite unprecedented. They show what President Prabowo and his administration's approach and thinking are."

Mr Shanmugam also said Singapore welcomes Mr Prabowo’s approval of foreign assistance to combat the fires causing the regional haze crisis.

Last Thursday, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said that discussions on assistance from neighbouring countries have entered the technical stage, although he did not specify which countries had offered assistance or what form the assistance would take.

Singapore has offered assistance and will do its part to support Indonesia's efforts, Mr Shanmugam said on Monday.

He also said Singapore would use every legal, regulatory and economic lever at its disposal to pursue companies responsible for the haze for "as long as it takes", and was prepared to strengthen its laws against them on an urgent basis.

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高级部长尚穆根周一（10月19日）表示，跨境雾霾“不仅仅是自然现象”，而是企业追求利润所造成的问题。

国家安全统筹部长兼内政部长尚穆根于2026年10月19日在兀兰关卡接受媒体采访。（图片：CNA/Ili Mansor）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：新加坡高级部长尚穆根周一（10月19日）对一名印尼官员的言论表示失望。该官员称，在没有雾霾的情况下，新加坡的氧气来自印尼的森林。尚穆根表示，在整个地区人民正遭受森林火灾影响的情况下，这种言论“是不恰当的”。

然而，尚穆根先生对印尼总统普拉博沃·苏比安托为解决跨境雾霾危机所做的努力表示欢迎。

尚穆根先生是国家安全统筹部长兼内政部长，他在访问兀兰关卡期间会见了移民与关卡局（ICA）的官员，并在访问间隙接受了媒体采访。

“坦白说，这种说法是不合适的，因为整个地区都因为印尼公司违反法规的不良行为而遭受损失，而受害最深的正是印尼人民自己，”他谈到这位印尼官员的言论时说道。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，大挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 尚穆根先生补充说，他不认为这位官员的观点在国家政府内部或广大公众中得到广泛认同，并指出人们对这些言论的反应。“我们不应该忍受这种事，”他说。

尚穆根先生补充说，他不认为这位官员的观点在国家政府内部或广大民众中得到广泛认同，并指出人们对这些言论的反应。“我们不应该忍受这种事，”他说。

此前，印尼政府通讯局局长沙赫甘达·奈因戈兰于10月10日为该国辩护，反驳有关跨境雾霾的批评。她表示：“我们不只是输送雾霾。没有雾霾的时候，我们输送的是氧气。新加坡和马来西亚的氧气来自我们的森林，对吧？”

他还补充说，森林火灾“并非人为错误”，而是一种自然现象。

尚穆根先生表示，焚烧造成的烟雾“完全可以避免”，并补充说，必须明确确定造成这一问题的责任人。

尚穆根先生回顾了新加坡在 2013 年和 2015 年发生的雾霾事件，重申这个问题“不仅仅是自然现象”，而是由企业追求利润所驱动的。

“我们已经好几年没遇到这个问题了，但现在它又回来了，”他说。

2026 年 10 月 14 日，印度尼西亚中加里曼丹省，驾车者驾车穿过野火造成的烟雾。（照片：路透社/Arief Rahman Septian Prathama）

普拉博沃治理雾霾的努力

尚穆根先生也对普拉博沃先生及其政府为解决雾霾问题所采取的措施表示赞赏。

他强调，普拉博沃先生已经更换了负责消防和灾害救援的机构负责人，制定了禁止在泥炭地上进行刀耕火种的指令，并将防火作为一项长期解决方案优先考虑。

“总统已亲自表示致力于处理此案，”尚穆根先生说。

“其中一些举措是史无前例的。它们展现了普拉博沃总统及其政府的方针和思路。”

尚穆根先生还表示，新加坡欢迎普拉博沃先生批准外国援助以应对造成区域烟霾危机的火灾。

上周四，印度尼西亚外交部长阿尔马纳塔·纳西尔表示，关于邻国援助的讨论已进入技术阶段，但他没有具体说明哪些国家提供了援助，也没有说明援助将采取何种形式。

尚穆根先生周一表示，新加坡已提供援助，并将尽其所能支持印尼的努力。

他还表示，新加坡将动用一切法律、监管和经济手段，追究造成雾霾的公司的责任，“不惜一切代价”，并准备紧急加强对这些公司的法律制裁。

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