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Mr Shanmugam also acknowledged the steps taken by Mr Prabowo and his administration to address the haze situation.<\/p>\n
He highlighted that Mr Prabowo has replaced the head of the agency responsible for firefighting and disaster relief, put in place directives against slash-and-burn practices on peatland, and prioritised fire prevention as a long-term solution.<\/p>\n
“The president has personally expressed commitment to tackling that case,” said Mr Shanmugam.<\/p>\n
“Some of these steps are quite unprecedented. They show what President Prabowo and his administration’s approach and thinking are.”<\/p>\n
Mr Shanmugam also said Singapore welcomes Mr Prabowo\u2019s approval of foreign assistance to combat the fires causing the regional haze crisis.<\/p>\n
Last Thursday, Indonesia\u2019s Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said that discussions on assistance from neighbouring countries have entered the technical stage, although he did not specify which countries had offered assistance or what form the assistance would take.<\/p>\n
Singapore has offered assistance and will do its part to support Indonesia’s efforts, Mr Shanmugam said on Monday.<\/p>\n
He also said Singapore would use every legal, regulatory and economic lever at its disposal to pursue companies responsible for the haze for “as long as it takes”, and was prepared to strengthen its laws against them on an urgent basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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