No M'sian plantation firms involved in Indonesian forest fires, govt confirms

The government has confirmed that no Malaysian plantation companies are involved in the forest fires in Indonesia that are causing cross-border haze across the region.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said the conclusion was reached after thorough checks by Plantation and Commodities Minister Noraini Ahmad.

“Noraini informed us that cross-checks with Malaysian companies holding palm oil concessions revealed that the burning occurred outside the concessions owned by these Malaysian firms,” Fahmi said during a press conference here today.

He added that the cabinet had also been briefed on the dry spell in the region, particularly in Kalimantan, where there had been generally no rain for over 100 days, or only minimal rainfall when it did rain.

“There was one plantation belonging to a Malaysian company, Genting Plantations, which saw fires spreading into its property from the outside rather than originating from within. However, those fires have since been extinguished,” he explained.

Malaysian, Singaporean companies named

On Oct 5, environmental group Greenpeace claimed that plantation companies from Malaysia and Singapore were among 20 entities involved in the forest fires.

The report also named a Malaysian plantation group linked to an Indonesian plantation entity as among the 20 companies most closely associated with fires, based on its haze sources dataset between Aug 1 and Oct 1, 2026.

According to the report, the same Indonesian entity was also identified in a 2019 report as having fires on its land.

Greenpeace alleged that at least four concessions also have corporate links to Singaporean business groups, with haze source points recorded at all four. 

These included concessions affiliated with Singapore-headquartered groups, those linked to Singapore through their parent companies, and an oil palm plantation interest identified as originating in Singapore.

The ongoing haze has impacted public health and disrupted education, forcing schools in affected areas to close.

Indonesia ready to accept help

Meanwhile, Fahmi said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will chair a National Haze Action Plan meeting involving the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry, and the Youth and Sports Ministry this coming Monday to address the situation in greater detail.

He added that the prime minister has been informed that Indonesia is ready to accept help from Malaysia to put out the fires and is now identifying the assets needed.

“The issue is that the fires have spread quite extensively. Therefore, any form of assistance and assets offered over the past month need to be re-evaluated to ensure the aid effectively meets its intended objective,” he said.

In a separate development, Selangor Bersatu Youth chief Na’im Brundage expressed disappointment over a statement by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, who suggested that sending a diplomatic note to Jakarta regarding the haze issue could strain Malaysia-Indonesia ties.

“The foreign minister should understand that transboundary haze directly affects the health and well-being of the people. Therefore, the government should use official diplomatic channels to firmly state its stance to the Indonesian government to protect the interests of Malaysians,” Na’im said in a statement.

He pointed out that Singapore has taken a firmer approach by stating its readiness to pursue legal action against companies responsible for causing the haze.

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