S’pore aims to tighten haze law amid hurdles in gathering evidence, securing cooperation: Grace Fu

Published Oct 27, 2026, 11:39 AM

Updated Oct 27, 2026, 11:39 AM

SINGAPORE - Singapore is looking into strengthening its transboundary haze law, with the aim of addressing enforcement gaps and improving the country’s ability to hold to account those responsible for the fires.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said this on Oct 27, as she noted two challenges to enforcing Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

This includes gathering evidence, and securing cooperation from companies outside Singapore, she said at an event on sustainable procurement hosted by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC).

Her comments come amid the Singapore Government’s widening probe against firms linked to the ongoing haze episode – one of South-east Asia’s worst ones – with at least 20 firms in the Republic and Indonesia served legal notices under the Republic’s haze law.

The government first issued notices to 10 Indonesian firms under section 9 of the law, which required them to take preventative action against the fires. There is no penalty under this section for a non-response.

Later, Singapore stepped up its probe against companies linked to fires.

It issued notices under section 10 of the law to 10 Singapore-registered companies in the palm oil or forestry businesses. These notices require them to provide information needed for investigations.

Fu said: “There i s an impor tant distinction. Section 9 is aimed at getting companies to take preventive action against the fires. Section 10 helps us gather the information and evidence needed for our investigations.”

This is the second time the haze law has been used to target companies. It was also wielded in 2015, but no firms were sued or fined. Cases against four Indonesian firms issued Section 9 notices then remain open. Three of them have been implicated again in the 2026 haze episode.

On the difficulty in ensuring that companies cooperate, Fu pointed out that Singapore may need the foreign government’s consent to serve notices in another jurisdiction.

Singapore has consistently expressed openness to working with Indonesian authorities who share the Republic’s objective of holding responsible companies accountable, she said.

But enforcement is hard if an overseas company refuses to comply and none of its officers enter Singapore.

Fu said: “Our enforcement framework should not allow a company to frustrate an investigation simply by refusing to cooperate or remaining outside Singapore.”

She said Singapore’s willingness to work with Indonesian authorities will not change, even as the country presses ahead to make adjustments.

The second challenge lies in gathering and verifying evidence across the borders, she added.

Apart from establishing a fire, Singapore also needs to establish relevant corporate and operational links, including who owns or controls the land, the relationships between different companies, and what steps were taken to prevent and fight the fires.

Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, noted that corporate structures, operations and supply chains can span multiple jurisdictions.

The necessary information may therefore be held overseas, making it difficult for Singapore authorities to obtain, the minister said.

Said Fu: “Even where information or documents are provided by an overseas company, independently verifying them can be difficult.

“Singapore authorities cannot simply enter another jurisdiction to conduct investigations or gather evidence without the consent of the foreign government.”

To this end, the Government on Oct 23 announced that it will convene a specialist panel comprising law, audit and investigative firms to support cross- border inquiries into identified companies’ operations, corporate relationships and supply chains.

Fu said Singapore is examining the adequacy of its existing law.

This review, which will also address enforcement gaps and strengthen corporate accountability, could result in amendments or introduce new laws where necessary.

But the law is just one tool that Singapore can use. Fu said other measures, including regulatory and economic means, will also be explored.

Pointing to the Singapore firms who were issued Section 10 notices on Oct 23, Fu said: “The increased scrutiny has already prompted companies to respo nd publi cly and set out their positions. The broader point is that companies are accountable not only to regulators.

“Investors, financiers, customers and the wider public increasingly expect companies to demonstrate responsible environmental practices.”

The Straits Times reported on Oct 26 that all 10 firms had acknowledged the requests for information. Most of them said they will cooperate with the authorities, except for three who did not explicitly say they would do so.

Among the 10 Singapore firms, two of them are linked to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) – APP Company and APP Company (China). Products linked to APP include paper brands Paseo, Nice and Paperline.

During the recent haze episode, the SEC had stepped up monitoring under its green label, including through additional reporting and supply chain checks, noted Fu.

The SEC had on Oct 18 taken action against APP after the firm’s suppliers were linked to haze-related fires.

The council said the next day that it had requested more information from APP and that it might suspend the company’s use of the label if it is unable to demonstrate effective measures to counter the fires.

ST has asked the SEC for updates on their investigations.

Said Fu: “(Sustainable procurement) is not only about whether a product carries the right label.”

“It is about whether the product has been responsibly produced, and whether the producer abides by the law and can be held accountable for its environmental impact.”

发布于 2026 年 10 月 27 日上午 11:39

更新于2026年10月27日上午11:39

新加坡——新加坡正在考虑加强其跨境烟霾法，目的是解决执法漏洞，并提高该国追究火灾责任人责任的能力。

新加坡永续发展及环境部长傅海燕于10月27日表示，在执行新加坡《跨境烟霾污染法》时面临两大挑战。

她在新加坡环境理事会 (SEC) 主办的可持续采购活动上表示，这包括收集证据，以及争取新加坡以外公司的合作。

在她发表这番言论之际，新加坡政府正在扩大对与持续的雾霾事件（东南亚最严重的雾霾事件之一）有关的公司的调查范围，目前至少有 20 家新加坡和印度尼西亚的公司根据新加坡的雾霾法收到了法律通知。

政府首先依据该法第9条向10家印尼公司发出通知，要求它们采取预防措施防止火灾发生。该条款并未规定对不予回应的情况进行处罚。

随后，新加坡加大了对与火灾有关的公司的调查力度。

根据该法第10条，新加坡政府向10家在新加坡注册的棕榈油或林业公司发出通知，要求它们提供调查所需的信息。

傅先生说：“这两者之间有一个重要的区别。第9条旨在促使企业采取预防措施来避免火灾。第10条则帮助我们收集调查所需的信息和证据。”

这是第二次利用雾霾法针对企业。该法曾在2015年被使用，但当时没有企业被起诉或罚款。针对四家印尼企业的案件（这些企业此前已收到第九条通知）目前仍在审理中。其中三家企业再次卷入了2026年的雾霾事件。

针对确保企业合作的困难，傅先生指出，新加坡可能需要外国政府的同意才能在其他司法管辖区送达通知。

她表示，新加坡一直对与印尼当局合作持开放态度，因为印尼当局与新加坡有着共同的目标，即追究负责任企业的责任。

但如果一家海外公司拒绝遵守规定，而且该公司没有任何一名高管入境新加坡，那么执法就很难进行。

傅先生表示：“我们的执法框架不应允许公司仅仅通过拒绝合作或留在新加坡境外来阻挠调查。”

她表示，即使印尼正在加紧进行调整，新加坡与印尼当局合作的意愿也不会改变。

她补充说，第二个挑战在于跨境收集和核实证据。

除了确定火灾原因外，新加坡还需要建立相关的企业和运营联系，包括谁拥有或控制土地、不同公司之间的关系，以及为预防和扑灭火灾采取了哪些措施。

傅海燕同时也是主管贸易关系的部长，他指出，公司结构、运营和供应链可能跨越多个司法管辖区。

部长表示，因此，必要的信息可能保存在海外，这使得新加坡当局难以获取。

傅先生说：“即使信息或文件是由海外公司提供的，独立核实这些信息也可能很困难。

“未经外国政府同意，新加坡当局不能擅自进入其他司法管辖区进行调查或收集证据。”

为此，政府于 10 月 23 日宣布，将召集一个由法律、审计和调查公司组成的专家小组，以支持对已确定公司的运营、公司关系和供应链进行跨境调查。

傅先生表示，新加坡正在审查其现行法律的充分性。

本次审查还将解决执法漏洞并加强企业问责制，必要时可能会进行修订或引入新法律。

但法律只是新加坡可以使用的工具之一。傅女士表示，政府还将探索其他措施，包括监管和经济手段。

傅先生指出，新加坡一些公司于10月23日收到了第10条通知，他说：“监管力度的加大已经促使企业公开回应并阐明立场。更重要的是，企业不仅要对监管机构负责。”

“投资者、金融家、客户和广大公众越来越期望企业展现出负责任的环境实践。”

《海峡时报》10月26日报道称，所有10家公司均已确认收到信息请求。除三家公司未明确表态外，其余公司大多表示将配合当局调查。

在这10家新加坡公司中，有两家与亚洲浆纸业（APP）有关联——分别是APP公司和APP（中国）公司。与APP相关的产品包括Paseo、Nice和Paperline等纸品品牌。

傅指出，在最近的雾霾事件中，美国证券交易委员会加强了在其绿色标签下的监控，包括通过额外的报告和供应链检查。

10 月 18 日，美国证券交易委员会对 APP 采取了行动，此前该公司供应商与雾霾引发的火灾有关。

第二天，委员会表示已要求APP提供更多信息，如果该公司无法证明其采取了有效措施来应对火灾，委员会可能会暂停该公司使用该标签。

ST已向美国证券交易委员会询问调查进展情况。

傅先生说：“（可持续采购）不仅仅是指产品是否贴有正确的标签。”

“关键在于产品是否以负责任的方式生产，生产者是否遵守法律，以及是否能够对其环境影响承担责任。”