Fires in Indonesia blanketed parts of Southeast Asia in toxic smoke, forcing school closures, driving up respiratory illnesses and curtailing outdoor activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Timor-Leste. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: An Indonesian environmental NGO plans to take legal action against Malaysian and Singaporean plantation companies allegedly involved in the recent transboundary haze.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) today outlined its plans to sue Singaporean companies in a Jakarta district court, saying it is also considering filing lawsuits directly in Singapore, targeting holding companies rather than just their Indonesian subsidiaries.
"We are still discussing this with consultants, and we will hire an international lawyer to help build our case against holding companies in Singapore," Walhi campaign coordinator Uli Arta Siagian said at a roundtable hosted by Malaysian advocacy group Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN).
