Singapore's PM Wong vows haze prosecutions as PM2.5 hits record high since 2015

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Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in a Facebook post late Thursday (October 15) that the government is investigating which companies may be responsible for the forest and peatland fires in Indonesia: "We are looking into which companies may be responsible for the fires. Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, and also explore joint action with other countries," he wrote, according to multiple outlets including AFP. Wong said the extended dry period has made the haze worse; Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and will keep working closely with Jakarta and ASEAN partners. The hourly PM2.5 reading in western Singapore reached 288 at 3pm on Wednesday, the highest recorded in Singapore since 2015, per the National Environment Agency. Early Friday, Singapore again topped IQAir's live ranking of the world's most polluted major cities, with Jakarta second and Kuala Lumpur fifth. Changi Airport Group and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore told CNBC that Seletar Airport has seen 16 flight diversions due to low visibility. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto approved foreign assistance to fight the fires on Thursday, local media reported, while Indonesian police say they are investigating nine palm oil companies without naming them. Note: the environment minister's October 14 statement (western 24-hour PSI of 203) was covered in our earlier report; this story focuses on the prime minister's new pledge and the Wednesday-to-Friday data.