Photo: Jakarta Post

A large number of the companies being investigated by the Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) for their involvement in forest and land fires leading to haze are foreign ones, including those from Singapore.
Indonesian daily Tempo reported Wed (2 Oct) that two of the 20 foreign companies that have been publicly identified by KLHK as suspects are Singapore-based palm oil company PT AUS in Katingan in Central Kalimantan, and foreign equity participation (PMA) company PT NPC in East Kutai in East Kalimantan.
Three other foreign companies that were labelled as suspects by the Ministry are based in Malaysia, namely PT AER and PT ABP in Ketapang in West Kalimantan, and PT IGP in Landak in West Kalimantan.
Director-General of Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Rasio Ridho Sani told reporters on Tue (1 Oct): “Of the 64 we have sealed, there are 20 temporary companies. Most of them are from Malaysia and Singapore.”
CNN Indonesia reported that according to data by KLHK, nine of the firms are Singapore-based, six are from Malaysia, one from Hong Kong, and four others were not stated.
44 other companies, while bearing the status of “domestic investment”, were headed by Singaporeans and Malaysians, CNN Indonesia reported Rasio as saying.
Rasio insisted that Indonesia’s authorities will punish offenders accordingly should they be found guilty of being involved in causing the haze, regardless whether the company originated locally or abroad.
He added that corporations that are proven to be guilty cannot escape sanctions, as the Director-General of KLHK’s law enforcement department has the authority to obtain evidence pertaining to the location, time and area of ​​the open burning via forensic means.
“They won’t be able to run,” said Rasio.
Consequently, KLHK’s law enforcement seeks to create and impose additional penalties against companies, such as depriving them of profits as a result of their involvement in starting the forest fires to clear land for palm oil agriculture.
Rasio also urged Indonesia’s regional and district governments to routinely supervise corporations that have been granted licenses to carry out agricultural works.
He added that administrative sanctions should also be imposed urgently, as it is the fastest authoritative mechanism in dealing with the problem of forest fires compared to time-consuming civil and criminal instruments via the courts.
“We need to push the scale of administrative action against the licensing officials. They can stop activities of [errant] companies, as well as order the suspension of licences and even revoke said licences,” Rasio said.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

Fear of Writing: A commentary on political art and censorship

~by: Jewel Philemon~ Local playwright, Mr Tan Tarn How, returns to the…

香港占中九子被控妨扰罪成 朱耀明牧师《敲钟者言》盼唤醒人们良知

转载自:雅虎香港新闻 “如果我仍有气力,必继续在教会敲钟,在世上敲钟,在人心敲钟。” 2014年,香港爆发超过70添的占领行动,被指是“占领中环”运动发起人的戴耀廷、陈健民及朱耀明,以及另外6名参与人士,被控串谋作出公众妨扰、煽惑他人作出公众妨扰及煽惑他人煽惑公众妨扰等罪。 在上周二(4月9日),“占中九子”就9人就不同控罪被裁定罪名成立。 据香港独立媒体报导,案中第三被告、75岁的朱耀明牧师,在判决后的法庭求情时,表示对于行动“不后悔、没有遗憾、愤怒和不会放弃”,令旁听席多为民众流泪。 朱耀明:问题来自屈膝强权下的“公民从命” 他指出,也许许多人以为,香港的问题源于“公民抗命”,但其实是来自“公民从命”,这种从命,屈膝于强权和独裁者的政体下,结果卷入死伤无数的战争、或是无数人对贫穷、愚昧、战祸和残暴无动于衷;监牢里只是小奸小恶的罪犯,大奸大恶者反倒成了国家的领袖。 在被告栏上,他回顾一生走过的香港民主运动历程,但他谦卑地说,在雨伞运动中,自己只是一个敲钟者,希望发出警号,让人们直到不幸和灾难正在发生,期盼能唤醒人们良知,共挽狂澜。 以下为朱耀明《敲钟者言– 被告栏的陈辞》全文: 作为一个终生为上主所用,矢志与弱势者和穷苦人同行,祈求彰显上主公义,实践天国在人间,传颂爱与和平福音的牧师,垂老之年,满头白发,站在法庭被告栏,以待罪之身作最后的陈辞,看似极其荒谬和讽刺,甚至被视为神职人员的羞辱! 然而,此时此刻,在我心中,在法庭的被告栏,是一生牧职最崇高的讲坛,死荫的幽谷成就了灵性的高峰。…

总理说续与工友们同一阵线? 且来看看本地打工族们处境

昨日,新加坡总理李显龙出席职总四年一度的全国代表大会。他在会上致词时称,人民行动党政府重申对工友们的承诺,将一直与工友站在一起,保障他们的福祉。 他说,半世纪前,先贤承诺在经济和社会发展上照顾新加坡工友,而几个世代的行动党和职总领袖都合力达成这个目的。且会竭尽所能确保工友和他们的后代们的福祉,与新加坡同进步。 他呼吁,执政党与职总必须帮助员工妥善应付转型,训练他们胜任新岗位,协助他们应付行业的日新月异,确保他们能继续就业。 此外,他指出在许多国家因为员工觉得生活没改善,经济增长但工友被抛在后头;精英和社会脱节只顾自身利益看不起平民,导致社会契约瓦解。愤怒群众想破坏对他们没用的体制。 对于香港现今的处境,他认为全球化的新加坡面向世界不可能完全免疫于这类潜在的分裂力量。如果发生在我国,后果不堪设想,对新加坡的信任将毁于一旦。 而我国如何避免这种结果?其中一个关键基础是行动党和职总之间的紧密关系,而许多行动党议员,也是来自职总。再者,行动党致力促进工友的福祉和未来,包括房屋、医疗保健、教育、交通等等。 李显龙认为,在当前充满不确定性的世界局势,加之新兴业务的侵扰,总理认为要“牵着工友们的手,让他们有信心,一起度过难关。” 承诺之后的现实 尽管总理承诺将继续捍卫工友们的福祉,不过我们且来看看,当前本地打工族们的处境? 且不论生活成本高昂、房价等因素,先看看人力部公布的第二季度劳动市场报告。尽管今年上半年就业人数持续增加,但今年上半年共有5550人被裁退,同去年同期(共5350人)不相上下。 值得一提的是,PMET(是专业人士、经理、执行员与技师)在第二季度被裁退职业类别中,仍是占比最高的,达到77巴仙。 而根据今年4月人力部长杨莉明在国会答复,在2018年,有5400位本地PMET被裁员。…

Lost World: How Singapore’s hunger for sand is destroying Cambodia’s coastlines and villages

Lost World is a powerful short documentary that details the effects of…