Indonesia, Singapore form task force to pursue haze firms
The task force will link company data, financial intelligence, cross-border evidence and, if possible, asset recovery.
Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to form a joint task force to investigate and act against companies suspected of being linked to forest and land fires that cause transboundary haze. The agreement was announced by Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan after a meeting at Gedung Pancasila in Jakarta on Tuesday (27/10). According to Arrmanatha, the task force will connect information sharing, financial intelligence and cross-border evidence gathering, and, if possible, pursue asset recovery. Singapore also offered to share data on companies linked to the fires. Balakrishnan said his country is ready to use all legal, regulatory and economic measures against companies responsible, including those registered in Singapore. The two countries also agreed to open a hotline at the ministerial and senior official levels to handle bilateral differences.