Indonesia's toxic haze is giving its neighbours a political headache

Toxic smog from wildfires burning in the Indonesian regions of Kalimantan, Papua and Sumatra has drifted into Singapore and Malaysia, triggering respiratory illnesses and headaches across maritime South East Asia. The haze, carried by winds across borders, has stretched on for weeks rather than the few days typical of previous episodes. The crisis has placed the region's governments in a difficult position, caught between mounting public frustration and the risk of souring diplomatic ties with Indonesia. "People are fed up, angry and anxious," Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, told the BBC. "The governments have to respond to them, or else what is more an external issue has become an internal one with ample headroom for politicisation." Indonesia's wildfires occur yearly, widely associated with industrial-scale land clearing for crops such as oil palm. This year's blazes have been harder to tame because a strong El Niño has worsened drought conditions in the country's forests and peatlands. Public anger has spilled into action in Malaysia, where locals began boycotting Indonesian products after lawmaker Syed Saddiq called for sanctions on companies linked to the wildfires and said Malaysians should "treat them as an outcast in the region". Schools were closed in parts of Malaysia when haze reached unhealthy levels this month. In Singapore, complaints have mounted that the government "dropped the ball", given that the severity of the El Niño was known in advance, Tan said. Singapore's government has moved to show the haze is a priority. Hundreds of haze shelters have been set up across the island, masks are being distributed to vulnerable residents, and authorities are investigating 10 Singapore-registered companies for potential links to the Indonesian wildfires while looking to strengthen existing haze legislation. Last week, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta for what he described as "honest" and "sincere" conversations, and both countries announced a joint task force to deal with the haze. Tensions had simmered before that détente. A senior Indonesian official drew criticism by saying the wildfires were beyond human control and that oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia "also comes from our forests". Singapore's senior minister K Shanmugam called the remark "disappointing" and "not right", adding that the haze was "really unacceptable" and that addressing it should not involve "any bilateral issues" since citizens on both sides were suffering. Days later, Indonesia announced it would reduce gas exports to Singapore, citing domestic energy needs, in a move widely seen as retaliation. Singapore says the reduction amounts to less than 2% of its total daily demand and will have little impact. The announcement followed warnings from Indonesia's energy minister about halting exports to countries that do not "respect Indonesia", and a reference by Prabowo to "countries that like to insult Indonesia". Tan described the episode as "a tired playbook of using Singapore as the bogeyman", driven by an "abang-adik" (big brother-little brother) syndrome. Malaysia's official response has been more muted. Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan ruled out a formal diplomatic protest or legal action, saying such steps "would mean we were prepared to sever relations". Malaysia has instead agreed to explore a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia on wildfire prevention and to rely on the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which came into effect in 2003 but is widely seen as toothless because it cannot punish companies or force governments to act. "The moment the haze disappears, the moment the political pressure's off, it's back to business as usual," said James Chin, professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania. Malaysia's caution is complicated by its own status as a major palm oil producer, a commodity linked to slash-and-burn practices blamed for the region's wildfires. In 2019, when Malaysia blamed hotspots in Indonesia's peatlands, Indonesian authorities pointed back at Malaysia. Asean countries set a goal in 2016 to eliminate haze by 2020, then moved the target to 2030 when the deadline passed. "As long as we place a lot of importance on oil palm planting, [the haze] is going to recur," said Ei Sun Oh, principal adviser at Malaysia's Pacific Research Centre, noting that Malaysia lacks the leverage Singapore holds as Indonesia's largest foreign investor. For now, he said, the government is "wringing their hands till the wind blows [the problem] over".