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Singapore moves to toughen haze law with S$20 million fines and business curbs

The proposed amendments would let Singapore restrict dealings with companies tied to haze fires and sharply raise penalties, with implications for firms operating in the region.

Photo: Yahoo News

What happened

Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu introduced the Transboundary Haze Pollution (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on Nov. 4, saying the status quo is no longer tenable. Yahoo News+2 The bill would raise the maximum fine for causing or contributing to haze-related fires from S$100,000 to S$1 million per day, with the overall cap rising tenfold to S$20 million. Yahoo News+1 The government would gain power to designate errant entities and impose orders restricting business dealings with them, which may cover the supply or purchase of goods and services and the provision of loans and other financial support. mothership.sg+1 Entities or individuals that deal with designated entities would face a maximum fine of S$1 million for each contravention, plus up to S$100,000 for each day it continues. mothership.sg The changes would also allow arrests in Singapore and let the government direct suspected entities to appoint assessors to gather information. Yahoo News+1

Around it

The amendments follow Singapore's most severe haze episode since 2015, which disrupted daily routines, affected businesses and workers, and sent hundreds more people to doctors each day. The Business Times+1 The bill was introduced and read a second time under a rare Certificate of Urgency signed by the president, and Fu moved to pass it in a single sitting. The Business Times+1 Fu said Singapore needs better ways to obtain and verify information, trace complex corporate relationships and impose meaningful consequences even where criminal prosecution proves difficult. Yahoo News The existing Act, passed in 2014, can be triggered when the PSI stays in the unhealthy range in any part of Singapore for 24 hours or more, and over 30 MPs filed more than 50 questions on the haze for this week's sitting. singaporelawwatch.sg

Sources

  1. Yahoo NewsSingapore proposes arrests, hefty fines to toughen haze law
  2. mothership.sgGovt empowered to restrict business dealings of errant entities in proposed THPA amendment
  3. The Business TimesSingapore proposes stronger investigative powers, stiffer penalties in expedited review of transboundary haze law
  4. CNASingapore proposes raising maximum haze penalty from S$2 million to S$20 million
  5. Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment2nd Reading of the Transboundary Haze Pollution (Amendment) Bill
  6. singaporelawwatch.sgParliament to discuss haze law changes, MPs ask about impact on outdoor workers, vulnerable groups

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