Indonesia and Singapore Join Forces to Crack Down on Forest Arsonists

Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to form a joint task force to pursue companies responsible for setting forest fires. The agreement was reached at a bilateral meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir, known as Tata, and Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

“We discussed forming a joint task force to strengthen corporate accountability,” Tata said at a joint press statement at the Foreign Ministry in Central Jakarta on 27 October 2026.

The task force will be responsible for exchanging information and supporting asset recovery. Tata stressed that companies responsible for forest fires must not be shielded.

“The task force will facilitate information-sharing, financial intelligence and cross-border evidence-gathering, as well as asset recovery where possible. No border should protect those who profit from burning our forests,” he said.

The Indonesian and Singaporean governments also agreed to take legal action against corporations responsible for forest fires. Indonesia welcomed Singapore’s readiness to provide the necessary data.

“Indonesia is committed to working with Singapore and others to bring those responsible to justice. Smoke can cross borders, and so can flows of money,” Tata said.

“Therefore, we must trace the money trail left by these companies. Singapore has offered to share data on companies linked to fires, which we welcome as a valuable opportunity,” he added.

Tata also said that Indonesian citizens were the first victims of the haze.

“Let me make this clear: the first victims of these fires are the Indonesian people themselves,” he said.

He said those affected included farmers and children in the affected areas, who had been breathing the haze before anyone else.

“They are our farmers, our children and our families in Sumatra and Kalimantan, who have to breathe the smoke first,” he said.

Tata said President Prabowo had made tackling these fires a top national priority, leading to a more intensive response to forest and land fires.

At the meeting, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian said that El Niño was a natural phenomenon, but forest and land fires were directly caused by human activity. Vivian delivered the statement in Indonesian.

“El Niño is a natural phenomenon, but forest and land fires are caused by human actions,” he said.

“So we have a responsibility to protect the health of all citizens, both in Indonesia and Singapore,” he added.

Vivian said people in Sumatra and Kalimantan were the first in Indonesia to be affected by the haze. He hoped the two governments would continue working together to address the problem.

“Singapore stands in solidarity with Indonesia. This is a shared problem, and one that is best resolved collectively,” he said.

Vivian added that the two countries were close neighbours, had long worked together and respected one another.

“Our relationship is built on trust, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.