Wilmar, Bumitama and First Resources fall in line on Singapore’s haze probe, seven still silent

Three Singapore-based firms—Wilmar International, Bumitama Agri, and First Resources—have agreed to comply with legal notices issued under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which require them to provide details on their land concessions, fire prevention, and firefighting efforts relating to the ongoing transboundary haze issue.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) issued these notices as part of Singapore's efforts to address haze pollution, with non-compliance potentially leading to fines or imprisonment.

Meanwhile, seven other firms served with similar notices have yet to respond.

SINGAPORE, Oct 24 — Three of the 10 Singapore-based firms served legal notices over the transboundary haze have said they will hand over the information authorities want, The Straits Times reported today.

Wilmar International, Bumitama Agri and First Resources told the Singapore Exchange by 2pm on October 24 that they had received the notices and intend to comply.

Wilmar was first, announcing its plan close to midnight on October 23, about three hours after the National Environment Agency (NEA) revealed it had issued the notices.

A Wilmar spokesman told the newspaper the company is preparing the documents and will share more when there are material updates.

First Resources followed with a filing at 1.15am on October 24, while Bumitama Agri and its subsidiaries filed theirs at 1.15pm the same day.

The other seven firms, which have not responded to the newspaper’s requests for comment, are Asia Pulp & Paper Company, Asia Pulp & Paper Company (China), Golden Agri International, Indofood Agri Resources, Kencana Agri, TSH Global Plantation and TSH Oversea.

The notices, issued under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), seek details on the firms’ links to associated companies, their land concessions, and their fire prevention and firefighting efforts.

Representatives of firms that fail to comply face a fine of up to S$5,000 (RM15,976), up to one month in jail, or both.

NEA said all 10 firms, which operate in the oil palm or forestry sectors, either own land concessions in Indonesia or have related companies that do.

Who are the three firms

Wilmar International, headquartered in Singapore and listed on the Singapore Exchange, is one of Asia’s largest agribusiness groups.

It was founded in 1991 by Kuok Khoon Hong, now its chairman and chief executive officer, and Martua Sitorus, and began as a palm oil trading company.

Its businesses span oil palm cultivation, edible oil refining, oilseed crushing, sugar milling and refining, oleochemicals, biodiesel and grains processing.

Wilmar has about 100,000 employees and a distribution network covering China, India, Indonesia and some 50 other countries.

Its largest shareholder is the Kuok Group, with about 27 per cent, followed by US commodities trader Archer-Daniels-Midland.

Bumitama Agri, a Singapore-listed holding company founded in 1996 by the Harita Group, runs oil palm plantations in Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and Riau and produces crude palm oil and palm kernel.

First Resources, established in 1992 and listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2007, operates oil palm plantations in Riau, East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan, alongside mills and refining, biodiesel and kernel-crushing operations.

The move escalates Singapore’s pressure on companies linked to the haze, after NEA earlier asked 10 Indonesian firms for information and issued preventive measures notices to seven pulpwood companies in Sumatra on October 16 and three in Kalimantan on October 19, which carry no penalties for non-compliance.

Under the THPA, entities found guilty of causing or contributing to the haze can be fined up to S$100,00 (RM319,520) for every day the pollution persists, capped at S$2 million (RM6.39 million).

Senior Minister K. Shanmugam warned on October 19 that errant firms would not be allowed to hide behind complex corporate structures or borders.

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三家总部位于新加坡的公司——丰益国际、Bumitama Agri 和 First Resources——已同意遵守根据《跨境烟霾污染法》发布的法律通知，该通知要求它们提供有关其土地特许权、防火和灭火工作的详细信息，以应对持续存在的跨境烟霾问题。

新加坡国家环境局 (NEA) 发布这些通知，旨在解决新加坡的雾霾污染问题，不遵守规定者可能会被处以罚款或监禁。

与此同时，另有七家公司收到类似通知后尚未作出回应。

新加坡，10 月 24 日——据《海峡时报》今日报道，因跨境雾霾问题收到法律通知的 10 家新加坡公司中，有 3 家表示将提供当局想要的信息。

丰益国际、Bumitama Agri 和 First Resources 于 10 月 24 日下午 2 点向新加坡交易所表示，他们已收到通知，并打算遵守。

丰益国际率先宣布了其计划，时间是 10 月 23 日午夜时分，大约在国家环境局 (NEA) 公布已发出通知三个小时之后。

丰益国际的一位发言人告诉该报，公司正在准备相关文件，如有实质性进展，将会分享更多信息。

First Resources 于 10 月 24 日凌晨 1 点 15 分提交了申请，而 Bumitama Agri 及其子公司则于同一天下午 1 点 15 分提交了申请。

其他七家公司尚未回应该报的置评请求，它们分别是亚洲浆纸业公司、亚洲浆纸业公司（中国）、金光农业国际、印尼食品农业资源、肯卡纳农业、TSH环球种植园和TSH海外。

根据《跨境烟霾污染法》（THPA）第 10 条发布的通知，要求提供有关这些公司与关联公司、土地特许权以及防火和灭火工作的详细信息。

不遵守规定的公司代表将面临最高 5,000 新元（15,976 令吉）的罚款、最高一个月的监禁，或两者并罚。

国家环境局表示，这 10 家公司均在棕榈油或林业领域运营，它们要么在印度尼西亚拥有土地特许权，要么拥有拥有土地特许权的相关公司。

这三家公司是哪三家？

丰益国际总部位于新加坡，并在新加坡交易所上市，是亚洲最大的农业综合企业集团之一。

该公司由现任董事长兼首席执行官郭孔洪和马图亚·西托鲁斯于 1991 年创立，最初是一家棕榈油贸易公司。

其业务涵盖油棕种植、食用油精炼、油籽压榨、糖厂和糖厂、油脂化学品、生物柴油和谷物加工。

丰益国际拥有约 10 万名员工，其分销网络覆盖中国、印度、印度尼西亚以及其他约 50 个国家。

其最大股东是郭氏集团，持股约 27%，其次是美国大宗商品贸易商 Archer-Daniels-Midland。

Bumitama Agri 是一家在新加坡上市的控股公司，由 Harita 集团于 1996 年创立，在中加里曼丹、西加里曼丹和廖内经营油棕种植园，生产原棕榈油和棕榈仁。

第一资源公司成立于 1992 年，并于 2007 年在新加坡交易所上市，在廖内省、东加里曼丹省和西加里曼丹省经营油棕种植园，同时还拥有榨油厂、炼油厂、生物柴油厂和棕榈仁压榨厂。

此举加大了新加坡对与雾霾有关的公司的压力。此前，新加坡国家环境局 (NEA) 已要求 10 家印尼公司提供信息，并于 10 月 16 日向苏门答腊的 7 家纸浆木材公司发出预防措施通知，于 10 月 19 日向加里曼丹的 3 家纸浆木材公司发出预防措施通知，这些通知对不遵守规定没有处罚措施。

根据《热带空气污染法》，被认定造成或助长雾霾的实体，每污染持续一天，可处以最高 100,000 新元（319,520 令吉）的罚款，最高罚款额为 200 万新元（639 万令吉）。

10月19日，高级部长尚穆根警告说，不允许违规公司躲在复杂的公司结构或国界背后。

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