World · World News Bureau
Haze diplomacy: Singapore bites, Jakarta bristles
Singapore is toughening its haze law with fines of up to S$1 million a day and pressure on banks. But Indonesia has cut gas, tied power exports to price and warned pilgrims off Singapore transit, and ASEAN is expected to prefer dialogue to discipline.
LSN World News ·
<p><em>Special Reporting from LSN News, adapted from today's Asia Unfiltered episode. <a href="https://youtu.be/mhFFP-85Z40" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the video on YouTube.</a></em></p>
<p>The skies over Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are clearing. The politics are not. Singapore has moved to put real teeth into its transboundary haze law, raising a hard question for the region: can a small neighbour punish the companies behind Indonesia's fires without breaking one of its most important relationships in Southeast Asia?</p><h2>Singapore sharpens its haze law</h2><p>On Wednesday, Singapore's Environment Minister Grace Fu said: "Following the recent haze episode, it is clear that the status quo is no longer tenable." Reuters reports the amendments would let the government appoint private sector assessors to investigate companies with suspected links to the haze. Fines for companies found guilty would rise to as much as S$1 million a day, capped at S$20 million, from the current S$100,000 a day, capped at S$2 million. The changes would also let Singapore stop other firms from working with suspected polluters, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore has warned banks to impose conditions on, and even end relationships with, companies that may have breached environmental laws.</p><p>The trigger was the worst season in years. NBC News reports Indonesia has been battling its most intense wildfire season in eleven years, fuelled by El Nino dry weather. Singapore recorded 18 consecutive days of unhealthy air from 5 to 22 October, The Straits Times reports, with the season's highest 24-hour reading a very unhealthy 230 on 18 October. In Indonesia itself, Health Ministry data cited by Reuters showed respiratory illness cases linked to the fires passed 283,000 in seven provinces by mid-October. Schools closed in parts of Malaysia and in East Timor.</p><h2>Jakarta's side, and a widening row</h2><p>Indonesia says more than 71,000 personnel have been deployed against the fires, mainly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and that companies proven to have broken the rules face sanctions up to licence revocation. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir calls the fires a top national priority, because Indonesian communities are among the first to breathe the smoke. On 19 October, Jakarta told Singapore it did not need foreign help.</p><p>But the haze has spilled into everything else. ABC News reports that the head of Indonesia's Government Communications Agency answered complaints last month by saying: "When there's no haze, we send oxygen." Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam called the remarks disappointing. Indonesia cut piped gas exports to Singapore by about 8 per cent last month, citing domestic energy needs, and on Monday Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Indonesia would not export electricity to Singapore unless the two sides agree on a suitable price. Reuters also reports that Jakarta has warned Muslim pilgrims to avoid transiting through Singapore. Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan flew to Jakarta last week to cool things down, and the two sides agreed on a joint task force to identify and hold accountable companies linked to the fires.</p><p>Then there is ASEAN. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan says he will raise the fires at the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila on 12 November. Singapore, which chairs ASEAN next year, wants a regional haze coordinating centre based in Indonesia, but that centre needs six member states to ratify it before it can start, and Singapore itself only plans to ratify in the next few days. Randy Wirasta Nandyatama of Universitas Gadjah Mada told ABC News that ASEAN members are unlikely to back punitive measures against Indonesia. "We often see a gap between rhetoric and action," he said.</p><h2>The Unfiltered verdict</h2><p>Singapore is right to go after the money, not the map. Fines, banks and supply chains can reach the companies behind the fires in a way that diplomatic protests and boycotts cannot. But a law in Singapore cannot put out a fire in Kalimantan. To pinpoint who is burning, Fu admits, Singapore still needs official records from the host country, and Jakarta's mood has turned prickly. Our read: the law is the stick, the task force is the test, and ASEAN will once again prefer dialogue to discipline.</p><p>What to watch next: whether Singapore's Parliament passes the amendments and which companies end up named; the ASEAN ministers in Manila on 12 November; and the rain. More of it is expected in November, and if it comes, the pressure to fix the problem may fade with the smoke, until the next dry season.</p>
<h2>Sources</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/singapore-amend-haze-law-widen-073005307.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters via Yahoo News, "Singapore to amend haze law to widen investigation powers", 4 Nov 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2026/11/03/singapore-will-push-for-stronger-action-against-transboundary-haze-as-asean-chair-in-2027-says-minister" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters via The Star, "Singapore will push for stronger action against transboundary haze as ASEAN chair in 2027, says minister", 3 Nov 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/spore-will-work-with-asean-members-to-establish-haze-centre-tackle-root-causes-of-haze-grace-fu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Straits Times, "S'pore will work with ASEAN members to establish haze centre, tackle root causes of haze: Grace Fu", 3 Nov 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-03/indonesia-haze-crisis-reignites-regional-frustration/107329748" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News (Australia), "Indonesia's smoke haze crisis ignites regional frustrations", 3 Nov 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.asiaone.com/world/daily-roundup-indonesia-export-electricity-singapore-pricing-terms-and-other-top-stories-today" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AsiaOne, "Indonesia won't export electricity to Singapore unless pricing terms are met", 3 Nov 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/singapore-pollution-spikes-east-timor-shuts-schools-indonesia-wildfire-rcna603416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News, "Singapore pollution spikes and East Timor shuts schools as Indonesia wildfire haze intensifies", Oct 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theprint.in/world/why-is-the-haze-so-bad-in-southeast-asia-this-year/3072976/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters via ThePrint, "Why is the haze so bad in Southeast Asia this year?", 15 Oct 2026</a></li>
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