Singapore plans to amend its haze law at Parliament’s next sitting, scheduled to begin Nov. 3, adding company-funded reviews to help authorities examine possible links to cross-border haze pollution.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said companies would pay firms selected from a government panel. The reviews would cover company operations, supply networks and corporate links, with assessors sending their findings to the National Environment Agency (NEA). The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said failure to comply would be an offence but did not announce penalties. Fu said the policy aims to keep the public from bearing health and environmental costs tied to irresponsible business conduct.
The proposal follows NEA’s Oct. 23 Section 10 notices to 10 Singapore-registered palm oil or forestry companies with Indonesian land concessions, or links to companies holding concessions there. The agency sought information on corporate ties, concession locations and fire prevention and firefighting measures. NEA separately issued Section 9 preventive-measure notices to 10 Indonesian companies: seven on Oct. 16 and three on Oct. 19. The notices have raised cross-border accountability questions.
In a 2021 reply about the 2015 haze investigation, the government said NEA had identified fires associated with six Indonesian companies and issued notices to all six. Two cases had closed, while four remained open as of Sept. 13, 2021.
Channel NewsAsia reported that lawmakers filed more than 50 haze-related questions covering enforcement, pollution’s health and economic effects, and protections for students and outdoor workers. The outlet also reported questions about proposed Certificate of Entitlement (COE) changes, the Oct. 13 healthcare disruption and safeguards following the fatal abuse of an eight-month-old baby.
A connectivity fault on Oct. 13 interrupted services across NHG Health, the National University Health System and SingHealth. Channel NewsAsia reported that Synapxe said services were restored by 4:37 a.m. ET (08:37 UTC), there was no indication of a cyber incident, and its investigation was continuing.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is consulting on combining COE Categories A and B into one passenger-car category, with fees and rebates based on vehicle value. LTA says advances in vehicle technology, including electric cars, have made engine capacity and power less useful for distinguishing mass-market cars from higher-value models. A COE is required to register a vehicle and permits 10 years of road use. The consultation ends at 10:59 a.m. ET (15:59 UTC) Nov. 2; LTA expects to complete its review by year-end and release findings and recommendations in the first half of 2027.
