18 Sep 2015
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam telephoned Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi on 18 September 2015 to express his deep concern over the ongoing haze situation in Singapore. Minister Shanmugam highlighted to Minister Retno that the recurrence of the haze had both immediate and long-term health impact on Singaporeans and others in the region.
Minister Shanmugam also said that the transboundary haze had a negative economic impact on the entire region, including Indonesia. Greater regional efforts and cooperation were needed to effectively combat the haze problem. He emphasised that all ASEAN states should follow through and fulfil their obligations under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze which all 10 ASEAN members have signed. This included operationalising the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System (AHMS). Minister Shanmugam said that the haze situation had attracted international attention, and there was focus on how regional countries were dealing with the issue.
Minister Shanmugam welcomed the steps taken thus far by the Indonesian government to address the haze issue, including the declaration of states of emergency in provinces affected and its investigations on errant companies suspected of causing the fires. Minister Shanmugam stated that strong action needed to be taken against these companies, and urged Indonesian authorities to share the names of these companies with Singapore so that punitive action could be taken against them. Minister Retno said that the names of errant companies would be conveyed through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Minister Shanmugam welcomed this and said that Singapore would take action against these companies to the fullest extent of our laws once the names were provided. Minister Shanmugam also emphasised the importance of finding a longer-term solution to address the causes of the haze, given that this was a recurrent problem.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
18 SEPTEMBER 2015