Indonesia and Singapore to Form Joint Task Force to Tackle Forest Fires

JAKARTA — Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said Indonesia and Singapore had agreed to establish a task force to strengthen joint efforts to tackle forest and land fires and their effects.

At a joint press conference following a bilateral meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Arrmanatha said the task force would focus on law enforcement against corporations found to have caused the fires.

“In this context, we discussed establishing a joint task force to strengthen business accountability,” Arrmanatha said at the joint press conference after the bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Indonesia and Singapore are committed to working together to ensure those responsible for causing the fires are held legally accountable, Arrmanatha said. In the longer term, the effort aims to restore land or assets affected by the fires.

He explained that the task force would provide a channel for exchanging information and financial intelligence, as well as collecting evidence across borders.

The Foreign Minister said the task force would also trace corporate funds used to cause fires in forests and on land. “Haze can spread across borders, but so can money,” he said.

Arrmanatha acknowledged that Singapore’s offer to share corporate data related to fire cases was a valuable opportunity to bring those responsible to justice. He also hoped the partnership would serve as a stepping stone towards tackling other shared challenges, such as under-invoicing.

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan reaffirmed his country’s commitment to working closely with Indonesia to tackle forest and land fires and take firm action against those responsible.

“Mr Arrmanatha proposed establishing a joint task force. Singapore agrees,” Vivian said.

Vivian said Singapore would use all available legal, regulatory and economic measures to take action against corporations found guilty. Through the task force, Singapore would improve coordination and share information with Jakarta. He was optimistic that the task force could deter companies responsible for the fires.

Smoke from forest fires in Kalimantan had strained relations between Indonesia and Singapore over the previous two weeks. Singaporean ministers had made strong statements about identifying Indonesian companies operating in Singapore that were suspected of being linked to the fires. On social media, users in both countries had also exchanged sharp remarks.