Oh boy, the threads connecting Singapore to the ongoing haze heavily choking parts of Southeast Asia are becoming more apparent. Indonesia’s environment ministry has confirmed that they’ve launched an investigation into a Singapore-owned company, among many others.
200 plantations and forestry companies are currently under probe, as massive forest fires caused by slash-and-burn farming methods have pushed the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ratings close to a treacherous 2,000 in Kalimantan. Any figure above 300 is considered hazardous — so you can imagine just how noxious it is to breathe in the air in Borneo right now.
Meanwhile in Singapore, the 3-hour PSI currently stands at 161, rising steadily since the Singapore Grand Prix ended its run last Sunday.
Though Indonesian authorities have not named the Singapore-owned company under investigation, the firm Asia Pulp and Paper comes to mind — an executive from their unit Bumi Mekar Hijau was arrested last week. It shouldn’t come to a surprise as about 50 percent of palm oil companies operating in Indonesia are owned by Malaysians and Singaporeans.
Four Indonesian companies in Sumatra dealing in palm oil and logging whose lands were set ablaze have been ordered to stop all operations, Channel NewsAsia reports. A total of 140 individuals are also being questioned during the course of the investigation.
Already, rallies are being held in Central Kalimantan where protestors are demonstrating against government inaction in tackling the ongoing forest fires.
Photo: Reuters
