World · 11 d ago
Mesa Kala · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Southeast Asia's toxic haze spurs calls for legal action against polluters
Burned since January
1.9 million hectares
Wildfires have burned about 1.9 million hectares of Indonesia since January, and the smoke has drifted as far as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Indonesia's Health Ministry has recorded more than 277,000 cases of chronic cough and acute respiratory infection, including over 62,000 children under five.
ZKang123 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Singapore's 2014 law lets it prosecute polluters abroad, with fines of up to 2 million Singapore dollars. Its environment agency has issued notices to 10 Indonesia-based firms this year, but none has been prosecuted.
What we know
- The 2002 treaty has no judicial enforcement
- Singapore has prosecuted no company
Not yet
- Whether Indonesia will act against firms
- Whether Malaysia will pass a similar law
The ASEAN haze treaty has no enforcement body, and experts say evidence from Indonesia is needed for any case.
