Singapore (AFP) – Singapore's Parliament decided on Wednesday to strengthen its law on cross-border pollution caused by toxic fumes, authorizing arrests and heavier fines against companies accused of being involved in forest and vegetation fires.

Published on: 04/11/2026 - 18:27

These amendments, which were adopted without difficulty, come after several weeks of air pollution caused by huge fires in neighboring Indonesia affecting forest areas and peatlands, and which aroused the anger of Singaporeans and gave rise to calls for action.

“We need better ways to obtain and verify information, trace complex relationships between companies and impose meaningful (measures) on entities that behave inappropriately,” said Grace Fu, Minister of Sustainability and Environment.

"We also need to be able to intervene earlier, before smoke pollution reaches Singapore. So we need to strengthen our laws, and we need to act quickly," she added.

The government was under pressure to toughen existing measures as thick toxic smoke, from fires that have raged for months on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, spread across the region, through Malaysia and Singapore, to the Philippines.

no "quick fix"

The amendments provide for arrests for offenses provided for by law and authorize the courts to try defendants in their absence, if they are abroad or unreachable.

Fines will be multiplied tenfold to reach nearly 800,000 dollars (711,000 euros) per day for companies deemed non-compliant, with the ceiling on fines rising to more than 15.6 million dollars.

The government will also have the power to force companies to appoint, at their own expense, independent inspectors to investigate fires, commercial activities and business relationships.

Companies attributing responsibility for fires affecting their land to third parties will also have to demonstrate that they have taken reasonable measures to prevent and fight these fires.

Under current law, Singapore has already issued warnings to ten companies, ordering them to deploy firefighting teams, stop burning and submit action plans.

Simon Tay, president of the Singapore Institute for International Affairs, a think tank, told AFP that there was no "silver bullet".

The legislative arsenal alone "does not guarantee that the fog (of toxic fumes) will never recur. Cooperation within ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and with Indonesia and neighboring countries will also be essential," he stressed.

Greenpeace Malaysia's acting representative, Heng Kiah Chun, said other Southeast Asian countries could learn from Singapore. “But stricter national laws must be supported by greater cooperation from ASEAN countries, particularly on sharing evidence, improving corporate transparency and preventing fires in peatlands,” he said.

Fires in Indonesia, aggravated by the El Niño climatic phenomenon in a context of severe drought, ravaged more than 1.9 million hectares during the first nine months of the year, according to the deforestation monitoring organization Nusantara Atlas.

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.