Singapore’s Parliament passes tougher haze enforcement law
The amendments raise fines and allow arrests and trials in absentia for offenses under the law, following weeks of haze from forest fires in Indonesia.
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The amendments raise fines and allow arrests and trials in absentia for offenses under the law, following weeks of haze from forest fires in Indonesia.
Singapore’s Parliament passed amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act on 4 November 2026, strengthening enforcement powers and penalties for companies linked to air pollution from forest fires. The report does not specify when the amendments take effect.
The law was enacted in 2014, but enforcement has faced jurisdictional barriers and difficulties gathering evidence overseas. The amendments followed several weeks of haze in Singapore from forest fires in Indonesia and public calls for tougher action, VnExpress International said.
Offenses under the act will become arrestable, and courts will be allowed to try defendants in absentia—without them present—if they are based overseas or cannot be contacted. Fines for companies that fail to comply with regulations will rise tenfold to nearly US$800,000 per day, with the maximum penalty rising to more than US$15.6 million.
The government will also be able to require companies to appoint private-sector assessors to investigate fires, business activities and related corporate relationships. Authorities may restrict designated companies, including by limiting their access to financial services in Singapore.
Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said Singapore needed better tools to gather and verify information, trace complex corporate relationships and impose penalties strong enough to deter offenders. She said the stronger framework would let authorities intervene earlier, before haze reaches Singapore.
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