Indonesian President: Any company causing fires to be punished

Antara 26 Jun 13;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged punishment for any company found negligent to cause forest and land fires in Riau province.

"With regard to smog issue I have heard statements from Singapore and few from Malaysia calling for punishment for companies (responsible) with assumptions they are Indonesian companies but our fellow citizens at home have also suspected of involvement of companies from the neighboring countries as well. I said the law will be enforced on anyone or any company from any country that has caused the disaster," he said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

President Yudhoyono said right now the government is prioritizing on fighting the fires because they have disrupted people`s activities in Riau and its environs including Singapore and Malaysia.

He said the deployment of a fire fighting task force consisting of more than 2,000 personnel and efforts to fight the fires through cloud seeding and water bombing showed that the government was maximal in dealing with the fires.

President Yudhoyono criticized the Riau provincial government for being too slow in anticipating and handling the fires causing the government to finally hand over the task to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

He said however that the most important thing to do now was extinguishing the fires immediately adding finger pointing must be stopped.

President Yudhoyono also appealed to parties in Malaysia and Singapore not to be overly with regard to forest and land fires and smog problem.

"Through the lesson, from what has happened in the past week I hope bilateral relations with the two countries could be maintained well as close countries are expected moreover we are common ASEAN members that strong characters and culture of respecting each other. Let us maintain the good relations by preserving the spirit of friendship," he said.

With regard to his recent offer of an apology to the neighboring countries President Yudhoyono said he could understand that some had agreed and others had disagreed with it.

He said the apology was offered in the context of smog problems and not others.

"What is clear and the fact is that smoke that flew to Singapore came from Indonesia or Riau. The air pollution level has reached above 300 meaning it is already under a health menacing category and it has also disrupted the daily activities of the people. The same condition had also affected our brothers in Riau. As it has come from Indonesia we are responsible and offering an apology under the context, I think, is not too much," he said.

President Yudhoyono said "there are pros and cons with regard to why the Indonesian president has to apologize because this is not a deliberate action. Some however have praised it as showing Indonesia`s big-heartedness. We hope our neighbors would also do the same thing in case they hurt Indonesian people."

President Yudhoyono said the deployment of huge forces to fight the fires was not free of pressures but it had been done to show Indonesia`s responsibility as a good neighbor.

"No country may command Indonesia as a sovereign country or me. What has been done is fully my decision," he said.

"Under the current situation swift and serious actions must indeed be taken to quickly solve the problem. That is what we must do. With smog of that thickness activities of our fellow citizens in Riau have been disrupted," he said. (*)

Editor: Heru

Walhi reports 117 firms
Antara 26 Jun 13;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Environmental Forum (Walhi) has reported 117 companies suspected to be responsible for land and forest fires in Riau Province that had created air pollution exceeding the healthy level.

Manager of Walhi for Legal Advocacy and Policy Muhnur Stayaprabu said here on Wednesday that the Civil Society Coalition had suspected that the fires took place because there was corporation interest behind it.

The Civil Society Coalition is composed of Walhi`s various provincial offices, Palm Oil Watch, Elsam, Legal Aid Institute and ICEL.

He said that the forest fires which took place in a number of provinces in Sumatra, particularly in Riau, had disturbed people`s activities and health. The fires that took place every year should be handled by the local and central government.

In Walhi`s records, forest fires this year involved 117 companies which have to be responsible for the fires in Riau.(*)

Editor: Heru

Sime Darby: Satellite data confirms no fires at our areas
The Star 27 Jun 13;

PETALING JAYA: Satellite data has confirmed that there are no fires raging at Sime Darby Plantation areas in Indonesia, the company said.

“Sime Darby Plantation has provided satellite data of hotspots, matched against its own concession area map to the relevant authorities.

“The data confirms that there are no fires on the operating areas in Indonesia,” Sime Darby Bhd said in a statement yesterday.

Sime Darby Plantation, it said, had reviewed hotspot data from a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) satellite for the period between May 25 and June 25 and overlaid the company’s own global positioning system map of the concession areas under PT Tunggal Mitra Plantation (TMP) and PT Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati (PT BNS) in Riau.

“The matching of the hotspot data and the maps of the concession areas showed that all hotspots were outside of PT TMP’s concession.

“There were three hotspots within PT BNS’ concession area. However, they are located outside of the company’s operating area.

“As explained previously, local communities occupy and plant both cash crops such as corn, sugar cane and pineapple, as well as perennial crops such as coconut and areca nuts on these lands,” it added.

The company also said the Nasa satellite had outdated information on its land concession areas, which it said had been reduced after the final land licensing process was conclu­ded.

“The Nasa satellite showed PT BNS’ concession area as 180,392ha when it is in fact only 25,662ha. Of this, 18,688ha are the actual planted area and 1,530ha the company’s residential and development areas. The remaining land is now mostly occupied by local communities.

“There were also discrepancies with regard to PT TMP’s concession area. Data from the satellite states the size of the company’s concession area as 38,473ha when the actual area is only 13,836ha, out of which 2,474ha are occupied by local communities.”

According to the statement, Sime Darby Plantation would publish and submit the findings to the Roundta­ble on Sustainable Palm Oil as well as cooperate with local authorities to manage hotspots and fires in the interest of its workers, the public and the environment.

The company also reiterated its commitment to a zero burning policy throughout all its operations worldwide, adding that this has been a practice since 1985.

Oil palm producer Sime Darby reiterates zero-burning policy in Indonesia
Channel NewsAsia 26 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE: Malaysian-owned Sime Darby, one of the world's largest palm oil producers, has provided satellite data to show that there are no fires in its operating areas in Indonesia's Sumatra.

The group also reiterates its zero-burning policy, according to reports.

The Bursa-listed firm was among the eight companies named by the Indonesian authorities as having set fires to clear land in Sumatra.

Singapore-listed companies Wilmar International and Golden Agri-Resources have also admitted that they do business with some of the eight firms being named.

But it said these dealings are now under review.

A spokesperson for Golden Agri-Resources said its own investigations have found seven forest fires in Indonesia's affected Riau province, and five of those were set for land-clearance purposes.

Earlier this week, a Wilmar spokesman told the media that the company would stop doing business with any party found to have started the fires.

- CNA/de

All stakeholders must play their part
Straits Times Forum 27 Jun 13;

LAST week, Singapore experienced its worst haze when the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index soared to a record 401.

Supplies of face masks ran out, and people here suffered from various haze-induced ailments. Some offices and businesses even suspended operations, to keep their employees and customers safe.

The haze has become an annual occurrence. Every year, from June to September, the south-west monsoon winds bring acrid smoke from the burning forests of Sumatra to Singapore and Malaysia.

The severity of the haze this year shows that the slash-and-burn method of clearing land for the palm oil and paper industries is a problem that affects us all. It also forces us to acknowledge that if we do not find a long-term solution, things may worsen.

The haze issue is complex, and a multi-stakeholder approach that goes beyond government regulation must be employed.

The Singapore and Indonesian governments have made a strong stand, emphasising that irresponsible companies must be identified and punished.

This is a great step forward but, more importantly, we must prevent such irresponsible business practices from continuing.

We suggest that governments work with agencies on the ground to guide their actions.

Environmental groups have long been at the forefront of gathering intelligence on forest issues in Indonesia.

For example, WWF-Indonesia and its associated non-governmental organisations use satellite-and mapping-based technologies to identify and locate hot spots, providing information for government action.

Also, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has taken a long-term strategy to resolve the problem - the Indonesian team works on the underlying issues of deforestation and helps the government identify and protect forests of high biodiversity value.

The organisation also has a dedicated palm oil team that promotes sustainable production and supports the Roundtable on Sustainable

Palm Oil, upholding the belief that palm oil companies must take responsibility for the full supply chain and ensure that not only their plantations, but also the fruit or processed oil from their third-party providers, are not fuelling the haze.

But ultimately, even if all the regulations are in place, if consumers continue to support products from irresponsible companies, the haze will continue.

While Singapore is enjoying a respite from the haze, let us not forget that it will come back with a vengeance if governments, environmental groups and people do not come together to take action.

Elaine Tan (Ms)
Chief Executive Officer
World Wide Fund for Nature-Singapore