Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to form a joint task force to\npursue companies responsible for setting forest fires. The agreement was\nreached at a bilateral meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister\nArrmanatha Nasir, known as Tata, and Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian\nBalakrishnan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed forming a joint task force to strengthen corporate\naccountability,\u201d Tata said at a joint press statement at the Foreign\nMinistry in Central Jakarta on 27 October 2026.<\/p>\n
The task force will be responsible for exchanging information and\nsupporting asset recovery. Tata stressed that companies responsible for\nforest fires must not be shielded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe task force will facilitate information-sharing, financial\nintelligence and cross-border evidence-gathering, as well as asset\nrecovery where possible. No border should protect those who profit from\nburning our forests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian and Singaporean governments also agreed to take legal\naction against corporations responsible for forest fires. Indonesia\nwelcomed Singapore\u2019s readiness to provide the necessary data.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia is committed to working with Singapore and others to bring\nthose responsible to justice. Smoke can cross borders, and so can flows\nof money,\u201d Tata said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, we must trace the money trail left by these companies.\nSingapore has offered to share data on companies linked to fires, which\nwe welcome as a valuable opportunity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Tata also said that Indonesian citizens were the first victims of the\nhaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me make this clear: the first victims of these fires are the\nIndonesian people themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said those affected included farmers and children in the affected\nareas, who had been breathing the haze before anyone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are our farmers, our children and our families in Sumatra and\nKalimantan, who have to breathe the smoke first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tata said President Prabowo had made tackling these fires a top\nnational priority, leading to a more intensive response to forest and\nland fires.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, Singapore\u2019s Foreign Minister Vivian said that El Ni\u00f1o\nwas a natural phenomenon, but forest and land fires were directly caused\nby human activity. Vivian delivered the statement in Indonesian.<\/p>\n
\u201cEl Ni\u00f1o is a natural phenomenon, but forest and land fires are\ncaused by human actions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we have a responsibility to protect the health of all citizens,\nboth in Indonesia and Singapore,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Vivian said people in Sumatra and Kalimantan were the first in\nIndonesia to be affected by the haze. He hoped the two governments would\ncontinue working together to address the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cSingapore stands in solidarity with Indonesia. This is a shared\nproblem, and one that is best resolved collectively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vivian added that the two countries were close neighbours, had long\nworked together and respected one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur relationship is built on trust, mutual respect and mutually\nbeneficial cooperation,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-and-singapore-join-forces-to-crack-down-on-forest-arsonists-1793152336", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }