Singaporean PM suggests expanding Singapore-Indonesia haze task force into a broader ASEAN initiative

详细摘要

Manila: The joint Singapore Indonesia task force investigating companies linked to haze causing fires should be expanded across all Association of Sou...

People row a canoe along the Kallang river as haze eases in Singapore on October 23, 2026. AFP file photo for representational purposes only.

Manila: The joint Singapore-Indonesia task force investigating companies linked to haze-causing fires should be expanded across all Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was quoted on Channel News Asia (CAN) on Sunday.

Addressing the retreat session of the 49th ASEAN Summit held in Manila, capital of the Philippines, Wong noted that the task force originally launched in October was designed to boost coordination and intelligence-sharing as both nations track down those behind the blazes.

Wong noted that the task force should be an “ASEAN-wide platform where we can share information more readily and where we can share evidence on those that are responsible” before saying that they want to send a message to all companies that “this is not the way to go about clearing forests."

"If anyone is caught doing this, across ASEAN, we will share information, we will take action, and we will hold companies responsible. I think that is something we should strive to do as part of ASEAN."

Both Singapore and Indonesia have vowed to take action against companies linked to the forest fires that have roughly burned through 2.88 million hectares so far in 2026 as highlighted by a recent AFP report.

文章开头，摘自The Peninsula。如需阅读全文，请前往媒体网站。