Malaysians Charged Over Haze

Published on Aug 9, 2013 by Luke Hunt

The Indonesian government is finally acting against companies blamed for igniting fires that resulted in a massive haze enveloping an enormous swathe of Southeast Asia, with a charge filed against PT Adei Plantations, Malaysia’s third-largest palm oil planter.The charge covers environmental damage arising out of the worse pollution to hit the region in 16 years. Another four companies are being investigated but they have not been identified.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Hazy Business, Shallow Governments

Published on Jul 8, 2013 by Luke Hunt

This article first appeared in The Edge Review.By Luke HuntBack in 1997 a rather irate Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad put a lid on local reporting of an unprecedented phenomenon. Burning off by major palm oil companies in nearby Indonesia had reached such levels that the entire region was blanketed by smog.A petulant Mahathir also yelled at foreign correspondents covering the story alleging a grand conspiracy to blacken Malaysia’s name and undermine its tourism industry. Not quite.A few years later a Malaysian minister famously snapped at critics of the government’s burgeoning love affair with palm oil plantations — and the scorched earth policy required to grow them. “What do you want?” He asked, “monkeys or gold?”Ever since companies like Sime....

Pöyry Blacklisted by World Bank

Published on Jul 19, 2012 by Luke Hunt

THE World Bank has placed the Finnish consulting and engineering firm Pöyry on its blacklist of non-responsible vendors. Late in June, the World Bank accused the Finnish consulting powerhouse of “submitting false invoices and providing improper benefits to World Bank Group staff.”The organisation says that Pöyry Management Consulting is ineligible to bid or receive contracts for three years. Pöyry has denied the allegations.Taloussanomat contacted the World Bank and report that the incident occurred in 2009 in the East Asia/Pacific region. They say a World Bank worker, who is no longer with the organisation, was presented with a single gift. The “false invoices” have not been explained.Read more in the Helsinki Times..

Here Comes the Haze, Again

Published on Jun 20, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Every year, large parts of Southeast Asia are blanketed by a thick dirty smog, unlovingly referred to as the haze. Residents choke, asthmatics remain indoors, children are barred from playing outside and the authorities seem to think it’s a kind of price the people must pay for progress.Of course, their arguments are nonsense. But the haze is back, so be prepared for the regular excuses trotted out to justify the slash and burn techniques used by Indonesian farmers that cause the thick smog, or why Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are incapable of finding a solution.Read more in The Diplomat..