Netizens Applaud S'pore Ministers For Taking On Indonesia's '9 Dragons' In Haze Probe

Executives from 10 Singapore-based companies issued notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act attended a closed-door meeting with Senior Min. K. Shanmugam, DPM Gan Kim Yong and Min. for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. All 10 companies under investigation for potential links to haze-causing fires in Indonesia were represented.

Some netizens also poked fun in the comments at an executive they believed was giving the middle finger to the ministers. The identity of the man pictured remains unclear.

According to The Straits Times, Bernard Tan, a senior adviser to Sinar Mas Group, declined to sit in the front row with the other company representatives. The report did not specify why.

This prompted some netizens to speculate that he was "scared to show face"

Senior Min. K. Shanmugam told the representatives that companies with a presence in Singapore have a responsibility to ensure their operations and supply chains do not contribute to haze pollution.

He said the Government would use all available powers to establish the facts and hold those responsible accountable, while emphasising that the investigation was not intended to find scapegoats or assign blame for political reasons.

Shanmugam said the Government expected "substantive cooperation and transparency" from the companies and would consider their level of cooperation when assessing any lapses.

Firms with clean supply chains and no involvement in the fires would have the opportunity to establish this through the assessment process.

Wilmar International was represented by its chairman and chief executive Kuok Khoon Hong.

TSH Global Plantation and TSH Oversea were represented by Kelvin Tan Aik Pen, chairman and co-founder of TSH Resources, which owns both firms.

Indofood Agri Resources was represented by its chief executive and executive director Mark Wakeford.

Kencana Agri was represented by its chief executive and executive director Albert Maknawi.

Kencana Agri was represented by its chief executive and executive director

Albert Maknawi.

First Resources was represented by its chief executive and executive director

Ciliandra Fangiono.

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Company and APP Company (China) were represented by Bernard Tan, a senior adviser to Sinar Mas Group, the Indonesian conglomerate that owns APP.

Bumitama Agri was represented by its chief executive and executive chairman

Lim Gunawan Hariyanto.

The meeting took place five days after the National Environment Agency issued notices to the companies on 23 Oct under Section 10 of Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, requiring them to provide information as part of investigations into the fires.