Transboundary haze: Indonesia's environment minister conducts field checks for joint task force

Singaporean companies operating in Indonesia will be severely penalized because we mean business by following up and following through with prosecution on violators of the THPA. For Indon companies, it's a different ballgame. They know how to squirm their way around the corridors of power in their own country. We all know that. Nothing new.

All for show. Next year, plantation tycoons will pay the cops and governors and ministers to look the other way again. The fires will continue for decades. Want to stop the fires? Easy. next time a big fire starts in a province, the governor and police chief get jailed, and all their assets, get confiscated. Their families an close associates all get investigate for taking bribes. Lets see if the fires continue then.

The following is a summary of facts and an analysis regarding the complexity of forest and land fires in Indonesia, which involves internal governmental factors, geopolitical dynamics, and conflicts among global corporations:<br><br>1. Human Casualties and Transboundary Impacts (The Haze Crisis)<br><br>• Impact on the Public: The populations of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are the primary victims of toxic haze (transboundary haze).<br>• Fatalities and Health Consequences: Massive forest and land fires—such as those in 1997, 2015, and 2019—have led to dozens of direct deaths from acute respiratory infections (ARI), while millions more have suffered from chronic lung diseases. Academic studies (including those from Harvard and Columbia University) estimate that thousands of premature deaths have occurred across Southeast Asia due to long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from the smoke generated by these fires.<br><br>2. Weaknesses of the Indonesian Government: Mitigation Budgets and Political Cycles<br><br>• Insufficient Mitigation Budgets: Historically, funding allocated for early prevention (mitigation) has been far lower than the budget for emergency response (fire suppression). The government has frequently been reactive rather than proactive.<br>• Policy and Political Interests: Environmental management policies often shift with changes in administration or local leadership (following regional or national elections). Land concessions are sometimes treated as &quot;political commodities&quot; to fund election campaigns, leading to the indiscriminate issuance of permits for clearing peatlands without rigorous oversight.<br><br>3. Corporate Power Struggles: International vs. Domestic<br><br>• Conflicts of Interest in the Palm Oil Sector: The palm oil industry has become a fierce economic battleground. Multinational (foreign) corporations and domestic (Indonesian) firms compete for high-value land concessions. • The Global Narrative War:<br>• Western institutions and international corporations frequently pressure Indonesia’s palm oil industry through green certification schemes (such as the RSPO) and stringent regulations (like the European Union Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR). <br>• The Counter-Perspective: The Indonesian government and domestic industry players often view these Western regulations as a form of economic protectionism—or &quot;disguised trade barriers&quot;—intended to undermine the competitiveness of Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) in the global market, thereby shielding vegetable oils produced in the West (such as soybean or sunflower oil). In reality, however, both foreign and local corporations have documented track records of involvement in land clearing via burning.<br><br>4. Legal Uncertainty &amp; Global Economic Injustice<br><br>• Weak Law Enforcement: Domestically, the legal system often displays a bias: it is harsh toward the vulnerable while remaining lenient toward the powerful. Indigenous communities and smallholder farmers are easily criminalized, whereas large corporations—on whose land fires occur—frequently evade criminal prosecution through convoluted judicial processes or merely face light administrative sanctions.<br>• Global Economic Injustice: The intense global demand for low-cost commodities (such as palm oil and wood pulp) compels developing nations like Indonesia to continuously exploit their natural resources. This imbalance forces countries in the Global South to bear the heaviest burden of ecological degradation in order to sustain global supply chains.

A container ship from Singapore has hit Indonesian fishermen, even though it does not belong to Singapore, Singapore is clearly involved. Now there will be a war between Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesian citizens Ready to stockpile food for war needs is clearly a declaration of war