SINGAPORE (Oct 23): Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued notices to 10 Singapore-registered palm oil and forestry companies seeking information on their possible links to forest fires in Indonesia and transboundary haze pollution.

The notices, issued under Section 10 of Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), require the companies to provide details of their land concessions, corporate linkages and measures taken to prevent or combat fires during the dry season.

In a statement on Friday, the NEA said the 10 companies either own land concessions in Indonesia or have related companies holding such concessions.

"These 10 Singapore-registered companies are in the palm oil or forestry business and own land concessions in Indonesia or have related companies with such land concessions," it said.

The companies include Asia Pulp & Paper Company Ltd, Bumitama Agri Ltd, Golden Agri International Pte Ltd, First Resources Ltd and Wilmar International Ltd.

"The NEA is firmly committed to identifying and holding accountable all local or foreign companies that have caused or contributed to the transboundary haze in Singapore under the THPA," it said.

The latest move follows the NEA's issuance of preventive measure notices (PMNs) to 10 companies in Indonesia over their suspected involvement in fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The PMNs require the companies to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish fires on land they own or occupy and prevent the fires from spreading.

The companies must also cease or refrain from burning activities and submit action plans to the NEA outlining measures to extinguish fires and prevent their recurrence.

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