Singapore PM Lee urges calm amid worsening haze conditions

Channel NewsAsia 20 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE: Haze conditions in Singapore worsened on Thursday, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hitting a new all-time high of 371 at 1pm.

As Singapore deals with the worsening conditions, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged for calm.

He has also outlined additional measures the government will take to deal with the problem.

These include setting up the Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee and granting medical subsidies for vulnerable groups with haze-related ailments.

Mr Lee said: "We cannot tell how this problem is going to develop because it depends on the burning, it depends on the weather, it depends on the wind.

"It can easily last for several weeks, and quite possibly it could last longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra, which may be in September or October. So we will need to adapt our response to suit the changing situation and protect ourselves in practical and sustainable ways."

He said the priority is to ensure the health and safety of Singaporeans and that life goes on.

Better data will be made available, so Singaporeans can anticipate what the haze situation might be and take the necessary precautions. There will also be daily media briefings.

Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen, who is the chair of the Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee, said: "We want to give as much information as possible to Singaporeans in as timely a manner as possible. We have had feedback that the current channels of providing information, there are gaps, and we acknowledge there are gaps, and we are trying to plug them."

MOH will implement a special scheme where young Singaporeans aged 18 and below, elderly Singaporeans aged 65 and above, Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) card holders, Public Assistance (PA) and Medical Fee Exemption Card holders who suffer from respiratory problems and conjuctivitis because of the haze can see their GPs, pay S$10 and MOH will settle the rest of the GP bill.

When asked about the possibility of a stop-work order as hazardous haze levels persist, Mr Lee noted that there is no single tipping point.

Mr Lee said: “I don't think there is any single point, where we turn action on and turn action off on stopping work, because it will be depend on what people are doing, what their exposure is, what our assessment of the situation is in the past 24 hours and the outlook.

“I think we will have to calibrate our response as we go along. So I can foresee if the haze gets more and more dense then we would take a gradually escalating series of steps."

"We can ask people to work for shorter periods, outdoors, we can ask people to put off doing the more strenuous work outdoors, we can ask people to take breaks if they're working outdoors. We can ask people to have masks.

"We can eventually say certain categories, you have to stop. So I don't think there's any hard line where we say everything comes to a stop, and indeed it's not possible for everything to come to a stop because life must go on.”

Concerns over why Singapore takes a three-hour average and not hourly to measure pollutants in the air were also addressed.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for environment and water resources, said: “Actually, we are probably the only country that's publishing three-hour rolling average PSI.

"If you look at PSI readings at almost every other jurisdiction, it would be on a 24-hour average and the updating is not going to be at an hourly interval and published almost instantly as what we have now.

"If you look at individual data points, they can be quite spiky but our three-hour PSI already gives a lot more fluctuations than you would see in almost every other jurisdiction.

“I want to give you the assurance that we will give all the data that we have. But I also want you to understand that our reactions have to be carefully and deliberately thought through. It cannot just be on the basis of reacting or following the crowd."

At the international front, leaders said the focus is to stop the burning at source.

Singapore will provide satellite pictures and maps of hotspots to enable Indonesian authorities to pinpoint the source of the fires.

In the long term, Singapore said it will work with Indonesia on sustainable methods of farming.

Indonesia has accused Singaporean companies of being involved in starting the fires, although it has not given any names.

Mr Lee noted that there will be consequences if such companies are identified.

He said: "In principle our view is you have to comply with Singapore laws and if you are doing something which is damaging the environment in Singapore then we have to take it very seriously.

"For example, if an oil tanker passes through the Strait of Singapore and discharges a whole lot of gunk which ends up in East Coast Park, we will track down that oil tanker and do something about it and we have done it before.”

He added: "We have requested (Indonesia) to provide us any evidence they may have on this. If any Singapore companies or companies which are present in Singapore are involved, we will take this up with them.”

Separately, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said he hopes Indonesia will try and control the fires in Sumatra.

Writing on his Facebook page on Thursday, he said: "I know it is not easy as it is a vast country and some of the fires could be sparked off by the dry weather. But it is a member of G20 and these countries aspire to show responsible global leadership."

Mr Goh added Singapore too, must play its part too to help Indonesia as a good neighbour.

He suggested Singapore could offer some useful resources like a team of fire-fighters and aircraft to seed rain, if feasible.

- CNA/jc/xq

Practical, flexible, customised approach for workers during haze: Balakrishnan
Channel NewsAsia 21 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE: Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan has recommended a practical, flexible and customised approach for workers during hazy conditions.

The minister was speaking at Channel NewsAsia’s Talking Point programme on Thursday evening.

"For a worker who will have to do hard strenuous work, despite very high PSI level, we may recommend that he uses an N95 mask. And we'll have to make sure that N95 masks are available,” said Dr Balakrishnan in response to a question by a member of the public who asked why construction workers were still working under hazy conditions.

"We have to have a practical, flexible, and in a sense a tailored, customised approach to deal with the different demands and the different vulnerabilities that people will have. So we're not going to have a single on-off, stop-work, carry-on-work, kind of approach," he added.

The minister also noted that there was a great demand for masks, and assured viewers the masks will not run out -- the government has stockpiled a significant amount of N95 masks and has just done a re-stocking at all retail outlets, he said.

Anyone not able to get one should be able to do so later Thursday or Friday.

Also brought up was the scheme to help Singaporeans with their medical expenses, should they fall ill from the haze.

This applies to Singaporeans aged 18 and below, the elderly 65 and above, Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) card holders, as well as Public Assistance and Medical Fee Exemption Card holders.

A caller, who said she was asthmatic and 57 years old, asked if the scheme could target vulnerable groups or those with medical problems, rather than by age group.

"Come and see your local MP and we'll find a way to help you. Don't worry about the finances… just get access to medical care first and we'll sort the things out," said the minister.

- CNA/jc

Q&A: 'No hard line where everything comes to a stop'
Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at yesterday’s haze press briefing with Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen (left) and Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan. PM Lee said the authorities would assess the haze situation daily and give guidelines to all accordingly. -- ST PHOTO: JAMIE KOH

WITH haze levels here continuing to hit record highs, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong convened a press conference at the Istana to answer queries on how the Government intends to deal with the situation.

Some key issues raised and the responses:

What is the PSI threshold before stop-work orders are issued or schools are closed?
The decision to issue a stop-work order will depend on more than just a single number, said PM Lee.

"I don't think there is any single point where we turn action on or action off on stop-work because it will depend on what people are doing, what their exposure is, what our assessment of the situation is in the past 24 hours and the outlook..."

He said that the Government would likely take a gradually escalating series of steps as the haze worsens, but there is no "hard line where we say everything comes to a stop".

Similarly, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the Government will carefully consider when to close schools.

"We will assess on an ongoing basis when there is risk to the public at large before we make those decisions," he said.

What can Singapore do to compel the Indonesian government or companies involved to deal with the fires causing the haze?
Singapore will continue to engage the Indonesian government, said PM Lee as he noted that there was no mechanism for one sovereign country to cause another country to do something.

"You can influence, you can encourage, you can persuade, you can request but finally it's within each country's authority and responsibility to deal with the problems within their own country," he said.

He noted that while countries have certain obligations like the Rio de Janeiro Declaration which states that countries have a responsibility to ensure activities within their jurisdiction do not cause environmental damage to other states, it is up to each country to comply with them.

In the long term, Singapore wants to work with Indonesia on sustainable agricultural practices so that they can clear land without destructive burning. An existing partnership in south Sumatra has expired but the leaders of both sides have discussed a renewal.

PM Lee added, however, that the Government would act on any Singaporean companies found to have been responsible for the fires. He said the Government is studying what action it can take under the law.

"In principle, our view is you have to comply with Singapore laws and if you are doing something which is damaging the environment of Singapore, then we have to take it very seriously."

For PSI readings, why do we use a three-hour average instead of a one-hour average?
Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that the focus should not be just on the data but also on how it is analysed, so that it can become "useful, actionable advice".

He pledged that the Government will provide all the data it has, but added: "I also want us to understand that our reactions have to be carefully and deliberately and consciously thought through."

Both he and PM Lee noted that the numbers can fluctuate greatly, which means that what someone feels may not always directly tally with the three-hour average.

Go to http://sph.straitstimes.com/the_haze_in_singapore for an edited transcript of the press conference

Govt unveils slew of measures to tackle haze
Woo Sian Boon Today Online 21 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE — As hazardous air levels continued to plague the Republic for the second consecutive day, the Government yesterday announced a raft of measures to combat the haze menace, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laid out his priorities to tide the country over the crisis.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Istana, Mr Lee announced that, starting yesterday, daily press briefings will be held where the authorities will issue the next day’s air quality outlook and health advisories for different groups of people.

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings and the 24-hour PM2.5 Concentration levels will also be published hourly, instead of the previous practice of publishing these at 8am, 12pm and 4pm.

Starting today, the Government will subsidise the needy, the young and the elderly on medical bills incurred at designated general practitioner clinics for respiratory problems and conjunctivitis. At the polyclinics, every Singaporean will enjoy the subsidy. Under this special scheme, most patients will pay S$10 or less per visit.

At the GP clinics, the Government will be subsidising S$30 of the bill for each visit by Singaporeans aged 18 and below and those above 65, as well as Community Health Assist Scheme, Public Assistance and Medical Fee Exemption card holders.

A Haze Inter-Ministerial Committee was also set up. Chaired by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, it will focus on protecting public health and safety and work with Indonesia to reduce the haze at source. On top of issuing clear guidelines on the protective measures at each PSI threshold, it will also review guidelines for protecting vulnerable groups and ensure that society and businesses, especially essential services, continue to operate.

A day after the three-hour PSI reading hit an unprecedented 321, Singapore suffered its worst ever air quality at about 1pm yesterday when the PSI reached 371.

Mr Lee reiterated that hazy conditions are expected “to persist for some time” as the wind and weather conditions will stay the same over the next few days. Flanked by Dr Ng and Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan at the press conference - which was attended by foreign media including the Financial Times and Reuters - Mr Lee called on Singaporeans to “remain calm and look out for one another”.

He said: “Our priority and my priority is to protect the health and safety of Singaporeans, especially for the vulnerable groups like the young and the elderly and those who have heart or lung diseases, for example, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

Mr Lee assured that the healthcare infrastructure is ready to cope with an expected increase in the number of respiratory-related medical cases.

There is also an adequate supply of masks, with the Ministry of Health yesterday replenishing the pharmacies from its stockpile of about 9 million masks.

On the international front, Mr Lee said that he will be writing to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono “to register our serious concerns and reiterate our offer to help”.

At an emergency meeting in Jakarta yesterday, Singapore – represented by National Environment Agency (NEA) Chief Executive Andrew Tan – repeated its commitment to work with Indonesia to tackle the haze. NEA said that the Indonesian government is considering Singapore’s offer of an assistance package which includes an aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, high-resolution satellite pictures and hotspot coordinates, which are similar to what Singapore provided in previous bouts of haze. Singapore requested for Indonesia to ratify the ASEAN Transboundary Haze Agreement which Indonesia signed in 2002. The Indonesia government said that it would be seeking its Parliament’s approval on the matter.

In a Facebook post, Dr Balakrishnan said he will also be flying to Jakarta today to address the haze situation.

Putting into context the scale of the problem, Dr Ng pointed out that the source of Singapore’s problem is about 250 km away.

“The hotspots are scattered over Central Sumatra which is quite large... Dense haze has dispersed over a wide area measuring thousands of square kilometres with Singapore in the midst of it,” Dr Ng said.

He added: “Like it or not... we are dependent on the Indonesia government to take measures to address the source of this environmental disaster.”

But he stressed that Singapore “must not let the haze overwhelm us”. He said: “There are things that we can do to protect ourselves, get on with our lives and keep Singapore going.”

Dr Balakrishnan reiterated that while “urgent and definitive action on the ground” needs to be taken, “we have to find a way to adapt and to take appropriate precautions so that life can go on”.

On whether the Indonesian government has given any indications as to which parties are responsible for the forest fires, Mr Lee said the Singapore Government has yet to receive any information.

While he noted that it was “very hard to tell” which specific companies were involved, he pointed out that from the satellite pictures, it was possible to tell - based on the topography and features on the ground - whether the areas on fire were “irregular patches” or areas with “regular grid lines” which would in turn indicate whether the land clearing was a big scale operation or a “small holder slashing and burning”.

Mr Lee pointed out: “On the scale of it, it’s unlikely to be just small scale holders just slashing & burning... need a lot of small holders for that.”

Responding to a Greenpeace report yesterday - which had named a subsidiary of Singapore-listed company First Resources as one of the errant companies owning a burning land via its subsidiary - Mr Lee reiterated that the matter will be taken up with the company “if there’s evidence involved”.

First Resources strenously denied Greenpeace’s allegation and clarified that it had long relinquished concession rights to the area in question.

On what action will be taken against errant companies, Mr Lee said that the Government was studying certain measures but “it depends on what we can do under the law and what practical”. He said: “In principle, our view is, you have to comply with Singapore laws and if you are doing something which is damaging to the environment in Singapore, then we have to take it very seriously.”

Data for PSI readings will be published on Government website
Eugene Neubronner and Ng Jing Yng Today Online 21 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE — While the Government announced yesterday that it will be publishing haze-related data more regularly, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan argued against calls for spot readings.

This is because “individual data points” can fluctuate a lot, he said — citing how the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings can vary by “a factor of almost a hundred” within an hour, as they did on Wednesday night and yesterday afternoon — and focusing on minute-to-minute readings would be akin to “chasing one’s tail”.

“It is important that we analyse and assess the data appropriately so that it becomes useful, actionable advice,” said Dr Balakrishnan at a press conference yesterday called by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the haze situation. “In planning an appropriate response, we cannot be reacting reflexively without thinking or considering or analysing the implications”. Instead, the Government will look at the situation on a “day-to-day basis” and, based on 24-hour data, give “appropriate advice” on how the public should cope with the haze crisis, he added.

As the haze worsens, some Singaporeans have questioned the accuracy of the PSI readings, arguing that it does not tally with the situation outside their windows. Those who were more cynical even wondered whether data was doctored.

Dispelling the doubts, Dr Balakrishnan said that data for all PSI readings will also be published on the Government’s data.gov.sg website “so there is no question about data abstraction or amputation”.

The Government is “committed to total transparency”, he reiterated, noting that Singapore is “probably the only country” publishing these readings which are updated every hourly.

Mr Lee added that there might seem to be discrepancies in the published readings when the haze outside one’s window “looks terrible”, but this was because the figure represented the average reading over three hours, and so could be better or worse than what is experienced on the ground.

Dr Balakrishnan also addressed queries on the delay in the publication of PSI readings on Wednesday night, saying heavy traffic “literally (crashed)” the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) website.

On whether Singapore would follow Malaysia’s decision to shut schools once PSI readings breach the 300 mark, Mr Lee said there would not be an “automatic” line where students would be kept at home. “But if the PSI keeps on going up we will ... look very carefully and ask ourselves what we can and cannot do,” he said.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen added that the professional view was that the haze would have varying impact on individuals’ health, depending on factors such as age, pre-existing conditions and levels of activity. Unlike infectious diseases, he added, the haze has “(much) more variability” and the Government would assess on an “ongoing basis” if there is a risk to the public before making any decisions.

Clear guidelines would be drawn up over the next few days, said Dr Ng, seeking the public’s patience.

Yesterday, it was also announced that the 24-hour PSI and PM2.5 concentration readings will be published hourly, instead of only at three time intervals daily currently. Three-hour PSI readings will also be posted online round-the-clock and not just from 6am to midnight.

At a media briefing yesterday, NEA Project Director (Environmental Monitoring Systems) and Chief Scientific Officer Indrani Rajaram also said the 24-hour PSI index system, which is derived from average values over the period, was in accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

She added that the index is based on the pollutant that has the highest concentration over a 24-hour period, which, in this haze, is PM10. On queries about the 3-hour and 24-hour PSI readings, Ms Indrani said the 24-hour readings are a “better reflection” of the total exposure of an individual.

Sounding the alarm for collective action
Simon Tay and Nicholas Fang Today Online 21 Jun 13;

The haze in Singapore is at a historic level, exceeding the worst seen back in 1997-98, and blankets the global city in a rancid shroud of grey. Neither is Malaysia spared; several parts of the Peninsula register unhealthy pollution readings.

Reports again point to land and palm oil plantation fires in Indonesia as the cause. The haze is a recurrent phenomenon and its return is greeted with a mix of anger and fatalism. People feel there has been plenty of time to fix the problem, so finger-pointing ensues — at Indonesia, the Singapore Government or palm oil plantations.

It is right to expect that regional governments should send the strongest political signal to address the situation. This is especially as the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will take place next week, notwithstanding other items on the agenda such as ASEAN economic integration and tensions in the South China Sea.

In raising this issue, however, finger-pointing can be counterproductive — because, fundamentally, Indonesian cooperation is needed.

INDONESIA HAS INCENTIVES TO DO BETTER

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong did the right thing when he raised the issue with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during their bilateral dialogue back in April. Other Singapore ministers — Dr Vivian Balakrishnan for the environment and Mr K Shanmugam at foreign affairs — have now contacted their counterparts.

Parts of the Indonesian establishment can respond positively. The bilateral relationship between the two countries is positive on many fronts. Indonesia has also taken up a high profile in leading ASEAN and will try to avoid tainting their growing reputation. In addition, Indonesian authorities need to act for the sake of their own citizens — the very worst of the haze afflicts the towns and peoples of Riau, which is nearest to the fires.

The global implications of the fires and haze for climate change are another dimension. The haze represents a huge spike in climate change gases that sends Indonesia into the uppermost bracket of worldwide polluters.

In ongoing negotiations at the United Nations, Indonesia stands to gain billions in funds from schemes to reduce carbon emissions by avoiding deforestation and land degradation. But any funding is contingent on proof that Indonesia can stand by pledges to conserve forests lands. The current fires vividly undercut such belief.

There are, therefore, domestic, regional and international reasons for Indonesia to do better in addressing the problem. Some elements in Indonesia will respond positively. After all, in 2006, President Yudhoyono pledged to reduce the number of fires, and this had some effect. That presidential pledge should be renewed. Furthermore, Indonesia should finally ratify the ASEAN Haze Agreement that was concluded more than a decade ago.

S’PORE CAN’T ACT ALONE

Yet, even if it does, doubts remain about how effective Jakarta promises will be in the now de-centralised provinces. This is especially as the Indonesian forestry and agricultural ministries seem to take quite a different attitude. When criticised, a forestry official responded recently that Singaporean and Malaysian companies are to be implicated. When the Singapore Government asked Indonesia to name the companies responsible, an Indonesian government official warned “foreign parties” not to meddle in its internal affairs.

Yet, this is a critical question to be answered. If it is true that the Indonesian operations of Singaporean and Malaysian corporations are involved, nationality must not excuse inaction. It instead shows the importance of cross-border governance.

The burgeoning industry of plantation and forestry resources in South-east Asia is linked by trade, consumption and finance, and governments need to work together to better regulate the corporations across borders.

It does not, however, make sense for Singapore to try to act alone. Without evidence, any ban on trade would run the danger of demonising the entire palm oil industry. This is unfair and, indeed, counterproductive when some companies are trying to green themselves in response to consumer demands and have pledged not to use fire. Even if Singapore did boycott the trade, unless others join in the move, the industry would simply shift elsewhere while the haze remains.

CONSISTENCY NEEDED

The reality is that there is no silver bullet for an immediate solution. The issue can, however, be managed, and it has been better managed in the recent past. Witness the relative drop in haze and fire after 1997-98, before again spiking in the last two years.

But even management needs consistent attention and considerable resources, whereas for most people, concern over the haze is only really activated when the problem is literally in our face.

Cooperation is also complicated across borders and across sectors — with governments and large corporations, as well local communities involved. This was tested and showed signs of success when Singapore’s National Environment Agency worked from 2007 with Indonesian provincial authorities on limited sites in Jambi.

A multi-level approach is needed. First, there needs to be a clear and consistent political signal from regional leaders and ministers. We should expect that the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting next week will address the issue, at least on the sidelines, among the concerned countries. Indonesia should also ratify the ASEAN treaty.

TACKLING THE COMPANIES

Beyond this, there is harder work to reach the palm oil companies as well as the supply chain and financial companies that support the industry.

Governments need to adopt a carrot-and-stick approach towards companies operating on the ground. Even as errant companies are brought to account, firms that are sincerely and successfully implementing sustainable measures in their operations should be commended. This would encourage other companies to follow suit.

For this, the role of non-government organisations will be important. Some NGOs in Indonesia, such as the national branch of Greenpeace, have been collating hard evidence of plantation owners conducting illegal burning activities, raising public awareness of these errant companies and assisting in the prosecution of some. Others, like the World Wide Fund for Nature, have been helping to set aside tracts of rainforests to protect them from loggers and burners alike.

Ultimately, the question remains of how to put all these together. What is required is a regional dialogue among the different stakeholders — agencies of government, diverse corporations and community and environmental groups. Only then can common points be agreed upon and cooperative work begun, rather than pushing the blame around. But this will require much more consistent attention, persistent work and resources than have been given to the issue to date.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Simon Tay and Nicholas Fang are, respectively, Chairman and Executive Director of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA). The SIIA has analysed and held a series of dialogues on the fires and haze since 1997.

PM lists priorities in tackling haze
Tan Dawn Wei Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

AS HAZE levels soared to a record high yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pledged to focus on protecting vulnerable Singaporeans, working with the Indonesians to stem the problem and keeping the country going.

He outlined his approach during a press conference at the Istana, as Singapore endured yet another day where air quality reached the hazardous range.

At one point, it hit 371 on the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), making yesterday the most hazy day in the country's history. To carry out those priorities, the Prime Minister has asked Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen to head a Haze Inter-ministerial Committee.

It will review guidelines for protecting vulnerable groups, make sure society and businesses continue to operate, and issue clear guidance on the protective measures at each PSI threshold, said Mr Lee.

His comments were an apparent signal that the haze response would involve action at home, not just engagement with Indonesia.

Mr Lee warned that it was hard to tell how the haze situation would develop. It could last for a few weeks, or even until Sumatra's dry season ends in September. He said: "We will need to adapt our response to suit the changing situation, and protect ourselves in practical and sustainable ways."

For example, the Health Ministry will introduce a scheme allowing Singaporeans who suffer haze-related respiratory problems to see a general practitioner at certain clinics for just $10 if they are 18 or below, 65 or above, or are on public assistance. The Government will also hold daily briefings to keep the public up to date.

Companies have been taking measures to protect their staff, such as giving out face masks, letting them work from home or, in some cases, sending workers home. But there is no magic PSI number that will trigger a work restriction order from the authorities, said the Prime Minister.

Instead, the approach will be to assess the haze situation on a daily basis and give guidelines to individuals, schools and companies.

"So, I don't think there is any hard line where we say everything comes to a stop, and indeed, it is not possible for everything to come to a stop, because life must still go on," said Mr Lee.

He also stressed the importance of collaborating with the Indonesians to solve the problem, instead of taking an antagonistic stance. For instance, Singapore has been promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Jambi, South Sumatra, so farmers and plantation owners do not need to clear their land by burning.

The pact is up for renewal, and Singapore is looking forward to continuing the partnership, said Mr Lee.

But he added that there are no levers that Singapore can pull to compel Indonesia to put a stop to the illegal burning as it is a sovereign country, just like Singapore.

"You can influence, you can encourage, you can persuade, you can request, but finally, it is within each country's authority and responsibility to deal with the problems within their own country."

Despite this, Singapore will take action against local firms - or foreign ones operating here - if they are guilty of contributing to the haze, said Mr Lee.

He urged Singaporeans to stay calm and to look out for one another: "I am quite confident that we can manage this problem, and we can go through it if we stay together and work on it together."

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan, who was also at the press conference, said he was hoping to meet Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on his trip to Indonesia today.

PM Lee has also written to Dr Yudhoyono.

Yesterday, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said that Dr Yudhoyono has instructed its chief Syamsul Maarif to immediately use all national resources available to extinguish the forest fires raging in Riau. Personnel, equipment and cloud-seeding material to induce rain have already been sent to Pekanbaru, it added. The agency also said the Indonesian leader had ordered it to control the haze as soon as possible.

National Environment Agency chief Andrew Tan, who was in Indonesia for emergency talks, also urged Jakarta to take more decisive action.

Seek solutions, not harsh words: PM
Zakir Hussain and Tan Dawn Wei Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

INSTEAD of countering scathing remarks made by a senior Indonesian minister, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday that he preferred to focus on solving the haze problem and reassuring Singaporeans they will be fine.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono, who is coordinating his country's relief and response efforts, had hit out at Singapore earlier at a press conference in Jakarta, saying: "Singapore shouldn't be like children, in such a tizzy."

PM Lee said it would not be "fruitful" for him to respond, and refused to be drawn into what he called "megaphone diplomacy".

"What we need to do is to solve the problem and also reassure our people that they will be okay and taken care of, and that everything which can be done is being done," he said.

"And I think we should work towards solving the problem rather than exchanging harsh words."

Mr Agung earlier told reporters that Singapore said nothing when there was fresh air, but complained about the occasional haze.

He also rebutted criticisms that Indonesia had yet to ratify an Asean pact on transboundary haze pollution. "Singapore is like that. The border issue hasn't been settled, neither has extradition, corruption."

Asked about offers of assistance from Singapore, he said: "If it is just half a million (dollars), better we use our own budget."

His remarks quickly drew a flurry of angry responses on The Straits Times' Facebook page. "We are not children, we are just taking precaution as it (the haze) is hazardous to our lives," said reader Mildred Lee.

Why naming, shaming might help
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE, the clean and green garden city, turned hazy and grey this week when winds blew in the thick smog caused by more than 100 hot spots over Sumatra.

The haze that enveloped the Republic was the worst in history, hitting a record of 371 on the Pollutant Standards Index yesterday, curtailing outdoor activities.

The Asean bloc has tried to address the haze pollution for more than a decade with limited success. Each year, its ministers meet to discuss the issue and pledge cooperation on tackling it. There has been some progress like in Jambi province, where Singapore and Indonesia worked together to implement steps to address forest fires.

But notably, the 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which legally binds countries to prevent and control haze, has not been ratified by Indonesia, rendering it toothless because most of the burning originates there.

Indonesia has taken umbrage at suggestions it has not done enough, but over the years, it has been relatively ineffective in enforcing and prosecuting those who start the forest fires. Short of engaging ministers in more talk, Singapore and Malaysia have their hands tied as the burning is not in their territory.

So, what options do we have?

If the authorities are unable to make progress, then commercial and public pressure could be the key to addressing the problem.

Singapore has now called on Indonesia to publish the concession maps that will show which companies own the burning spots. Indonesia has suggested that it was Malaysian and Singaporean palm oil companies behind the hot spots, and has since said it will check and "then we will coordinate".

This is a long overdue move, and governments, non-governmental organisations and wider society must put pressure for such information to be made transparent.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan hinted as much when he said: "I am sure consumers will know what to do."

In other words, the power to stop this lies with us.

When I say "us", I mean not just Singaporean consumers - as we are only a small country with limited buying power - but the wider international community, because the haze pollution knows no borders.

We might suffer most of it due to our proximity to the burning, but the larger concern is the huge amounts of carbon emissions the burning is adding to the atmosphere, worsening climate change and destroying biodiversity.

As educated consumers, we have the capacity to demand that companies conduct their business responsibly and without detriment to the wider public.

To some extent, this has already been demonstrated in campaigns by environmental groups against major palm oil players. A recent Greenpeace campaign targeting consumer giants like Unilever and Nestle, for example, has led to these companies dropping Singapore-listed Golden Agri- Resources (GAR) as a supplier. The storm of public criticism had forced Unilever and Nestle to relook their supply chains and in turn, forced players like GAR to clean up their act. GAR has since engaged external parties such as the Forest Trust to look into their operations, and Unilever has also resumed buying from it.

It is unrealistic to expect these companies to clean up overnight, but at least there is a process of improvement.

In the current era of technological innovations and crowd-sourcing, it is also difficult to withhold information from the public.

It is then up to us to demand these firms to do the right thing. After all, we are the shareholders who buy their stock and the consumers who buy their products.

This is the only way to make progress. Sooner or later, the rain will wash away the smog and the skies will clear again. But even though we may no longer see it, the haze problem still exists.

And it will never go away until we take the necessary steps to address it.

Strengthen reach of environmental laws
Burton Ong For The Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

THE legal issues shrouding the annual haze problem we are facing in Singapore are complex, but more can certainly be done on the Singapore side.

On the one hand, there are tricky international law issues between Singapore and Indonesia - independent sovereign states with distinct legal regimes - set against a backdrop of multi-layered sociopolitical forces which animate the Asean regional grouping.

On the other hand, the essence of the dispute lies in the irresponsible actions of one group of people in one country causing harm to a much larger group of people in a neighbouring territory. Open burning causes air pollution which is harmful to the environment and public health.

In Singapore, a clear statutory prohibition against the open burning of refuse or waste can be found in Section 6A of the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations. Other criminal and civil sanctions may also be levied against the parties responsible for such air pollution where the air pollution generated causes personal injury, property damage or a nuisance to others.

A similar spectrum of Indonesian legal remedies may be triggered where both the polluter and the injured party are located within Indonesia.

If both countries have environmental laws which can be invoked to punish those who engage in open-burning activities, why is the problem intractable once the air pollution crosses national boundaries and inflicts harm upon victims in another territory?

The immediate obstacle is whether the legal system of the country whose residents bear the brunt of the ill effects of the pollution can be used against the perpetrators. In other words, whether the Singapore courts and other organs of state have jurisdiction over those who engage in harmful activities outside of Singapore.

As a general rule, principles of national and territorial sovereignty preclude states from applying their laws to parties and conduct beyond national borders.

Exceptions are made where, for example, there is some important public policy consideration at stake, or where the foreign conduct produces a direct adverse impact on the affected state.

Extraterritorial jurisdiction would thus be justified on the basis that serious harm is suffered by a state, such that it has a legitimate interest in extending the scope of its laws beyond its territorial limits.

Singapore is no stranger to enacting laws which have an extraterritorial reach. These include statutes directed at prohibiting overseas drug consumption by Singaporeans and curbing corrupt acts of Singaporeans overseas.

Our laws also prohibit foreign economic undertakings from engaging in anti-competitive behaviour outside of Singapore that adversely affects competition within Singapore. Why not extend the scope of our environmental laws to cover those responsible for engaging in pollutive open- burning activities in Indonesia?

The economic and social impact of the haze on public health, tourism and a broad range of other economic activities provide more than ample justification for Singapore to assert such extraterritorial jurisdiction.

To be sure, extraterritorial laws are not easy to draft or enforce. But in principle, it is possible for Singapore judgments to be awarded against foreign entities, to be enforced outside Singapore by foreign courts.

Difficulties of enforcement are not insurmountable.

Difficulties in identifying which parties should be held legally accountable - landowners, plantation operators, parent companies and subsidiaries, downstream economic operators and so forth - can be dealt with by legislation which expands the circle of liability beyond those who actually light the fires to include parties who profit from such activities while knowing of or acquiescing to such land-clearing practices.

Difficulties relating to proving which fires in Sumatra contributed to the haze in Singapore would require drafting laws which allow the prosecuting agency to establish causation by proving certain basic facts. For example, an evidential presumption could be raised if the prosecutor could show that open burning on a certain scale took place on a particular date when haze was felt in Singapore, with prevailing winds blowing towards Singapore on that date.

As for difficulties in imposing and enforcing financial penalties, these may be overcome by targeting the Singapore bank accounts of the corporations and corporate officers found jointly liable of such misconduct. Jail terms could enhance the deterrent effect.

It would be ironic if those whose selfish decisions harmed Singapore's people and economy were to enjoy the financial rewards of their conduct by using our banking and other services.

Merely applying "commercial pressure" to discourage such behaviour is not enough. We must give serious thought to strengthening our environmental law regime to fight this annual scourge.

stopinion@sph.com.sg

The writer is Associate Professor, Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore and the Deputy Director- designate of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law.

Use the law to fight the haze
Encourage whistle-blowers, and introduce laws that compel producers to clean up their act if they want to ship palm oil products through Singapore
Ivan Png For The Straits Times 21 Jun 13;

IT'S become an almost annual ritual for Singaporeans during the South-West Monsoon season: the haze is back.

Effortlessly but sadly, I have built my own Pollutant Standards Index meter. I look out my NUS office window. When I cannot see the Pasir Panjang port cranes, just over 1,000m away, I know that the PSI exceeds 200.

How to solve this vexing issue? Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has suggested that consumers bring pressure on agricultural producers through "name and shame". The idea is good but the challenge is: How would we know who is burning the peat lands in Sumatra?

An Indonesian forestry official has countered that Malaysian and Singapore palm oil plantation companies are responsible for the open burning. Dr Balakrishnan and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam have asked Indonesian ministers to name the companies responsible for the burning. But the silence from the government of Indonesia has been deafening.

Let me suggest two more practical approaches. One is to shift the burden of proof from the consumer to the producer.

We should legislate that palm oil and other agricultural products may be imported or trans-shipped through Singapore only if the product is certified as not produced on land cleared by open burning. This law would be similar to the way that the world regulates trade in endangered species through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

Cites came into effect in 1975. It regulates the export, import and trans-shipment of endangered plants and wildlife. Such plants and animals may be traded only with the proper licence.

We can apply a similar policy to agricultural products. A difference with Cites is that we do not need to wait for an international treaty. We can pass the law on our own. (With this policy, Singapore could set an international example, just as it has done with "opt out" organ donations, road pricing, and other world-first policy innovations.)

Responsible agribusinesses should have no problem complying with the law. The law would precisely target the companies that are slowly killing us with fine smoke particles. By cutting the sales and profits of the culprits, we would give them a clear financial incentive to clean up their act.

My other suggestion is to revise our environmental law to prohibit any acts, wherever they may be located, that cause air pollution in Singapore. Isn't it ironic that a factory in Jurong that pollutes our air will be prosecuted, but a plantation in Sumatra that pollutes even worse gets off scot-free?

Importantly, the law should also include a whistle-blower provision to reward anyone who provides information leading to convictions. Currently, we are stuck with a free rider problem. It is very costly (perhaps impossible) for any individual person to identify the culprits. The work requires organisation and resources. But the benefit is spread across many, including all of the people in Singapore and West Malaysia. So, the job does not get done.

The purpose of the whistle-blower provision is to give a strong incentive for people to pinpoint those responsible for open burning. Whistle-blowers have been instrumental in exposing white-collar and environmental crime in the United States and Europe.

We can apply the same concept to combat the haze. We might then even get the help of local government officials and plantation workers in Sumatra. The prospect of a whistle-blower reward worth perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars would certainly focus their minds.

stopinion@sph.com.sg

The writer is Lim Kim San Professor at the NUS Business School and professor of economics and information systems, National University of Singapore.