Singapore and Indonesia create joint task force to pursue firms behind forest fires.
Indonesia and Singapore are moving beyond firefighting toward coordinated enforcement against companies suspected of contributing to forest and land fires. The two neighbors have agreed to establish a joint task force that will combine information sharing, financial intelligence, and cross-border evidence gathering to strengthen corporate accountability.
Joint Task Force Targets Corporate Accountability
Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir announced the agreement after talks with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Jakarta on October 27. The proposed task force will coordinate information sharing and investigations into companies potentially responsible for forest and land fires, including the exchange of financial intelligence and cross-border evidence. The cooperation could also support asset recovery where possible.
Singapore Offers Company Data
Indonesia welcomed Singapore’s offer to share information on companies linked to the fires. Arrmanatha said authorities must also follow financial trails across borders when investigating businesses that may have profited from forest burning. Balakrishnan said Singapore would use its legal and regulatory powers against companies responsible for haze, including Singapore-based firms, and was prepared to consider broader legal, regulatory, and economic measures to deter future violations.
Companies Already Face Scrutiny
Singapore’s National Environment Agency has issued preventive-measures notices to 10 companies in Indonesia suspected of being linked to fires contributing to haze. Separately, 10 Singapore-based companies have been asked to provide information and documents under investigations using Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act. Indonesia is also conducting its own enforcement efforts, with Arrmanatha saying hundreds of individuals and more than 50 corporations have been investigated or prosecuted, with some already found guilty under Indonesian law.
Indonesia Mobilizes Thousands Against Fires
Indonesia has deployed around 71,000 ground personnel and 51 aerial units across priority provinces to combat the fires, using measures including water bombing and weather modification. Arrmanatha said severe El Niño conditions had complicated firefighting operations. Both ministers emphasized that Indonesians, particularly communities in Sumatra and Kalimantan, are the first to experience the effects of the fires and smoke.
Bilateral Communication to Strengthen
The ministers did not specify when the task force would begin operating, which agencies would participate, or what additional enforcement measures could follow. Indonesia and Singapore also agreed to establish a hotline between ministers and senior officials to improve communication and manage bilateral differences. They said cooperation would continue through existing regional mechanisms, including the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
The planned task force marks a shift toward closer cross-border enforcement by connecting environmental investigations with corporate and financial accountability. For Indonesians, the initiative could strengthen efforts to pursue businesses linked to fires that directly affect communities in Sumatra and Kalimantan. For Singaporeans, it provides another mechanism for addressing haze that crosses national borders, while giving both governments a platform to coordinate evidence, investigations, and enforcement more closely.
Sources: Straits Times (2026) , Business Times SG (2026)
Keywords: Indonesia Singapore Task Force, Forest Fire Companies, Transboundary Haze, Haze Enforcement, Financial Intelligence, Forest Fires
