Read CNA’s Oct. 28 reporting and the environment ministry’s meeting transcript; checked the notices and air-quality update against NEA records. The companies’ possible links to fires remain under investigation, not a finding of responsibility.
A proposed law would formalize independent reviews
Singapore plans to amend its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act so authorities can require independent reviews of companies that may be connected to fires in Indonesia. The announcement followed an Oct. 28 meeting where senior executives representing 10 Singapore-based entities agreed to cooperate with the government’s inquiry, officials said.
The amendments have not yet been introduced or passed. Under the framework described by ministers, companies identified by the National Environment Agency (NEA) would pay for assessment teams chosen from a specialist panel. Investigators could examine operations, corporate links and supply chains, then report to the agency. NEA would use the findings to decide on further steps.
The notices seek information, not a verdict
On Oct. 23, NEA issued statutory information notices to 10 Singapore-registered companies with interests in palm oil or forestry and Indonesian land concessions. The agency sought details about associated companies, concession locations and steps taken to prevent or fight fires. Non-compliance with these notices is already an offence under the current law, the ministry said.
Those notices are separate from preventive-measure notices sent to 10 Indonesian companies under another section of the law. The Indonesian firms were told to deploy firefighting teams, stop or avoid burning and submit plans to prevent fires from spreading or recurring. Singapore has not established that the Singapore-based companies caused the fires; officials describe the inquiry as a fact-finding process.
Regulators are also asking what listed firms knew
Singapore Exchange Regulation sought additional disclosures on Oct. 28 from seven listed agribusinesses. It asked for details of fire-monitoring and prevention measures, any links to the 10 Indonesian companies served notices, the potential business impact and any other official inquiries. The exchange said the answers should help investors assess companies’ exposure; its questions are not findings of wrongdoing.
A regional problem with a changing air-quality picture
The domestic inquiry follows an agreement announced a day earlier by Singapore and Indonesia to create a joint task force. The two foreign ministers said it would coordinate information-sharing and cross-border work on companies potentially linked to the fires.
NEA’s Oct. 27 update reported smoke haze over Kalimantan and Sumatra and forecast a moderate 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index of 60–90 for Singapore on Oct. 28. The ministry said air quality had reached very unhealthy levels at points earlier in October, underscoring why the investigation matters to residents as well as investors.
Sources
6 references
- Channel NewsAsiaSingapore firms pledge to cooperate with haze probes as government plans stronger lawOn-scene reporting on the meeting, proposed amendments and exchange-regulator queries · 2026-10-28
- Singapore Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentMedia doorstop after meeting with companiesMinister’s transcript on statutory notices, assessors and planned amendments · 2026-10-28
- Singapore National Environment AgencyNEA serves notices to 10 Singapore-based companiesPrimary notice describing the information requested and the companies’ status · 2026-10-23
- Singapore National Environment AgencyHaze Situation Update (27 October 2026)Daily air-quality and regional smoke-haze update · 2026-10-27
- Singapore Ministry of Foreign AffairsRemarks at the Singapore–Indonesia joint press conference in JakartaPrimary record of the two governments’ agreement to establish a haze task force · 2026-10-27
- Associated PressSingapore and Indonesia set up a task force to combat haze from illegal burningIndependent reporting on regional cooperation and the cross-border haze response · 2026-10-27
