NEA issues notices to 10 Singapore-based firms for first time under haze law
One of the Singapore-registered companies is Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which was recently placed under temporary green certification restrictions by a non-profit environmental watchdog.
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SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday (Oct 23) issued notices to 10 Singapore-based firms to seek documents and information, the first time the agency has done so since the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) went into effect.
These ten Singapore-registered companies are in the palm oil or forestry business and own land concessions in Indonesia or have related companies with such land concessions, NEA said.
The companies are: Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Company, Asia Pulp & Paper Company (China), Bumitama Agri, Golden Agri International, First Resources, Indofood Agri Resources, Kencana Agri, TSH Global Plantation, TSH Oversea and Wilmar International.
These firms are required to furnish information about their linkages with associated companies in Singapore and Indonesia, the locations of land concessions owned by them, as well as fire preventive measures and any firefighting efforts taken during the dry season.
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Previously, NEA had only issued notices to companies that were not listed on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's BizFile portal.
The agency is also seeking more information from the 10 Indonesian firms that have been issued notices since last Friday, it said in a press release.
These firms, which had been named previously, are:
- PT Bumi Andalas Permai (BAP)
- PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH)
- PT SBA Wood Industries (SBAWI)
- PT Paramitra Mulia Langgeng (PML)
- PT Sumatera Alam Anugerah (SAA)
- PT Hutan Lestari Raya (HLR)
- PT Bangkanesia (BKN)
- PT Buana Megatama Jaya (BMJ)
- PT Mananjung Hayak (MH)
- PT Baratama Putra Perkasa (BPP)
"NEA is firmly committed to identifying and holding accountable all local or foreign companies that have caused or contributed to the transboundary haze in Singapore under the THPA," the agency said.
Last Friday, NEA said it would issue preventive measure notices to seven companies in Indonesia responsible for fires causing the haze in Singapore. It added that it would issue notices to three more companies on Monday.
Under the notices, the companies are required to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish fires or prevent them from spreading on land they own or occupy.
The firms must also stop any ongoing burning activities, refrain from starting new ones and submit action plans to NEA on how to put out the fires and prevent them from recurring.
Several of the companies that were issued notices this year also previously received legal notices from NEA because of the severe haze in 2015.
Earlier this week, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said APP, which is an Indonesian paper firm that is registered in Singapore, has been placed under temporary green certification restrictions after three of its wood-fibre suppliers were linked to fires in Indonesia that caused haze.
APP is required to make daily fire response reports and will be subject to strict monitoring to ensure effective fire prevention and suppression for the land areas managed by its suppliers.
On Tuesday, APP said the restrictions do not constitute a suspension of its enhanced Singapore Green Labelling Scheme certification, and that there is no specified timeline for the restriction to be lifted.
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