Air pollution watch: US gas leak - the SoCalGas methane disaster - Sempra could face a bill of as much as $900 million

Editor's note: There seem to be several key strands in the news on smog / air pollution and health issues:
(1)  The rise of Europe policy maker concerns on emissions from diesel vehicles (and this is highlighted by the VW cheating scandal)
(2) the Southeast Asia peat smog haze driving API measures over 300 in neighbouring countries and 1400 in local peat zones - note that Singapore has started legal action against the Singapore units of companies associated with the Sumatran fires. **The recent articles by TOS Singapore on cause of haze and health impacts (for Singapore) are worth reading (but clearly, the health issues would escalate for those living in the peat zones; from recent news article it is evident that NGOs are collecting information on the economic cost of the peat smog haze, so we can probably expect legal actions to ensue)
(3) China urban-industrial air pollution. Now giving rise to some law suits. Some who are more sanguine about #2 in that it is "organic pollutant particles" point out that this is the worrying one given metals in the polluted air due to industrial air pollution form factories.

KL-Singapore focussed spreadsheet of data points reported via aqicn.org: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/184t5ORDGWgcYLKlN5w_zdo_whzk5trUp-hfORpjO6zI/edit?usp=sharing

23 April 2016:  German government report accused no car maker of criminal wrongdoing, New Gadgets Help Chinese Cope With Pollution 

Volkswagen Posts Deep Loss After Taking $18.28 Billion Hit on Emissions Scandal - Charge represents large increase on sum initially set aside to cover recalls and repairs By SARAH SLOAT Updated April 22, 2016; ... Volkswagen took a $18.28 billion charge related to the diesel emissions cheating scandal. The news came as the German government revealed conclusions of its emissions scandal report that showed diesel manipulation could be more widespread, although it accused no car maker of criminal wrongdoing... http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-posts-deep-loss-after-taking-18-28-billion-hit-on-emissions-scandal-1461333307?tesla=y 


New Gadgets Help Chinese Cope With Pollution 4/17/2016 3:00PM      Air pollution in China is a persistent and nagging problem. The WSJ’s Alyssa Abkowitz speaks about some new devices that help Chinese people breathe easier. Photos, clockwise from bottom: CoClean, Ecovacs, Broad Group... http://www.wsj.com/video/new-gadgets-help-chinese-cope-with-pollution/2E3BC5B3-EFBE-4E03-976D-8323AB9C5924.html?mod=trending_now_video_5

11 Feb 2016: US gas leak - the SoCalGas methane disaster - Sempra could face a bill of as much as $900 million

How Do You Stop the Biggest Gas Leak Ever? Inside the efforts to plug SoCalGas’s methane disaster. by Karen Weise  Bloomberg Businessweek Reprints February 10, 2016; ...The leak had been spewing for about two weeks. Southern California Gas Co., the subsidiary of Sempra Energy that owns the facility at Aliso Canyon, had tried and failed to kill it..... Based on Conley’s readings, the state would estimate that in less than a month, Aliso released more than 68 million pounds of methane. Since then, it’s leaked 132 million pounds more, the state says, based on Conley’s subsequent flights... Aliso potentially the largest-ever single release of methane into the atmosphere—at least, the largest ever recorded.... When methane leaks, it’s not obvious like an oil spill. Methane’s invisible and, for most of its supply chain, has no odor. That helps explain why there’s been such a gap in public awareness of what a growing body of research has found: There are pervasive, daily methane leaks across the country’s energy infrastructure that far outstrip federal estimates. And the bulk of releases come from “super emitters,” which range from persistently malfunctioning valves to one-time events.....Conley found that by Nov. 28, emissions were about 16 percent higher than he’d measured a few days before the kill attempt. At its peak, Aliso emitted almost 128,000 pounds of methane an hour, Conley estimates. (Boots & Coots deferred comment to SoCalGas.)... More residents began asking SoCalGas to pay for temporary housing, and the company opened an office in a shopping center, wedged between SoCal Blow Dry Bar and Visionmax Optometry, to field their complaints. Hundreds of people have been showing up each day, and about 4,460 households are living in hotels or other short-term accommodations, at SoCalGas’s expense.... Plaintiffs lawyers, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., courted panicked residents, saying SoCalGas should pay for what they called unknown health risks and wrecked property values. More than 2,000 people showed up for a December meeting organized by Erin Brockovich and the lawyers she works with....Around 2009, as fracking wells popped up across the U.S., public debate focused on concerns over contaminated water. In an iconic, if much-disputed, scene in the documentary Gasland, filmmaker Josh Fox lights tap water on fire. But since then, scientists have begun to fret about how much methane is escaping into the atmosphere. Too much could counteract the climate benefits of the cleaner-burning gas..... So in 2012, EDF started the largest-ever series of peer-reviewed studies to measure emissions across the oil and gas supply chain. It committed $18 million to fund 16 academic studies not just at production sites but along pipelines and distribution networks, at storage facilities like Aliso, and to endpoints in cities, where gas flows to heat homes and cook meals. Most of the funding came from foundations, with another third coming from oil and gas companies. “One of the biggest questions is, if you had the wrench and wanted to tighten down the leaks, where would you start?” says Tom Ryerson, a methane researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His work isn’t funded by EDF..... The findings in North Texas’s Barnett shale field, the first basin to widely use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) methods, were frightening and have proven typical. There, researchers measured emissions 90 percent higher than the estimates in the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and they found that 10 percent of facilities accounted for 90 percent of the leaks. Some leaks were “persistent,” like unlit flares, malfunctioning valves, or other avoidable situations. Others were “episodic,” like Aliso, though at a smaller scale. Many could be prevented with better monitoring and operations...The patterns continued in California, where the state found methane emissions are as much as 74 percent higher than previous estimates.... The Environmental Protection Agency in August proposed the first federal rules to limit methane leaks from oil and gas operations, but they mostly cover new facilities. About 90 percent of emissions come from older sources, according to an EDF study by the consulting firm ICF International. The American Petroleum Institute, in a December call with reporters, said the industry has reduced leaks and that “voluntary methods are the best way to reduce methane emissions from existing sources.”.... Most gas regulation falls to states, which generally haven’t focused on leak detection and prevention. Colorado was the first to require regular monitoring and preventive maintenance. In early February, California proposed rules that would require quarterly inspection of both new and existing gas production sites, and emergency regulations now mandate daily monitoring of storage facilities such as Aliso....California Attorney General Kamala Harris and a long line of others have sued SoCalGas over the Aliso blowout. Los Angeles prosecutors filed misdemeanor criminal charges against the utility for not immediately reporting the leak. (SoCalGas says it will respond to the case “through the judicial process.”) A regional air quality regulator said in a suit that the company’s negligence caused the leak, and multiple state agencies are also conducting their own investigations. SoCalGas’s parent, Sempra Energy, has said it has more than $1 billion in insurance coverage that it believes will cover many of the current and expected claims....in a worst-case scenario, Sempra could face a bill of as much as $900 million, says Brandon Barnes, an energy litigation analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. If the leak is stopped by the end of March, the total cost could be about $250 million, he estimates. That includes roughly $115 million to stop the leak and relocate families, $40 million for civil liabilities, and $11 million in state fines. One of the biggest expenses could come from mitigating the climate damage, which the state says it will require. Buying carbon offsets would cost about $92 million, according to Barnes’s calculations.....  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-10/how-do-you-stop-the-biggest-gas-leak-ever?cmpid=BBD021016_BIZ

8 December 2015: Beijing air pollution went to 666 last week and lowered the red alert threshold this week

Beijing Issues First-Ever Air Pollution Red Alert December 8, 2015 Beijing has suspended schools, restricted car travel and banned fireworks and outdoor barbecuing as the Chinese capital scrambles to cope with a thick blanket of gray smog that’s enveloped the city. Bloomberg's Stephen Engle has more on "First Up." (Source: Bloomberg)
 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-12-08/beijing-issues-first-ever-red-smog-alert

26 November 2015: Haze control and oil palm smallholders by Khor, Saravanamuttu & Augustin - The Habibie Center

Haze control and oil palm smallholders by Khor, Saravanamuttu & Augustin - article published by The Habibie Centerhttp://khoryuleng.blogspot.my/2015/11/haze-control-and-oil-palm-smallholders.html

3 November 2015: Looking back at Haze 2013 that triggered off Singapore action

Great haze II - the karmic winds of change? [report] http://khorreports-palmoil.blogspot.my/2013/06/great-haze-ii-karmic-winds-of-change.html

2 November 2015: CIFOR articles on Indonesia peat fires - broadly recommends re-wet peat zones and restore to original vegetation, but how feasible is this on funding and socio-political front? Palm oil points to smear campaign.

Editor's note: Some policy questions. How do you reduce current cultivation of peatlands - moving individual and corporate farmers away? Relocation and compensation? How do you restore degraded peatlands? Where is the funding? GAPKI - Indonesia palm oil fears smear campaign - is that a doctored image then?

DG’s Column, Preventing fire & haze: sustainable solutions for Indonesian peatlands - What can we do to break the cycle of the haze over the long term? How might we address the underlying drivers and achieve sustainable solutions?  by Peter Holmgren @pholmgren 1 November 2015 about 10 hours ago; From a solutions perspective, we may set ourselves up for failure if we start by trying to answer the environmental concerns. It may be more constructive to view reduced impact on climate and environment as a great and much-needed co-benefit to solutions to health, poverty, food and governance issues....Solving the underlying factors will take time. Now is the time to decide on proper actions for the long term, before the haze and attention blows over.... At the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), we are discussing ways forward, together with partners. We have come to a few starting points with a common denominator that fire and haze need to be raised to a higher level and address development more broadly.... Going forward, we identify a range of essential direct outcomes we should strive for, including: •Drastically reduced conversion of forests into agriculture •Reduced use of fire in agriculture •Overall reduction of cultivation on peatlands •Improved opportunities for rural livelihoods and income •Improved markets and value chains for sustainable products •Restoration of degraded peatlands... http://blog.cifor.org/36585/preventing-fire-and-haze-sustainable-solutions-for-indonesias-peatlands?fnl=en

Indonesia on fire again … and again? The fires in Indonesia have made global headlines—but this is a decades-old, recurring problem that needs long-term solutions. by Suzanna Anderson 29 Oct 2015; The fires in Indonesia have been raging for more than two months, creating a toxic haze that has blanketed much of the country and spread across  neighboring regions. Rains in the past week have provided a little welcome relief, but the crisis is far from over. Most of the fires in Central Kalimantan are blazing in former peatland forests, which have been drained, cleared and burned for oil palm and agriculture, at large and small scales.  The dried-out peat ignites easily and burns underground; the fire then creeps along under the surface. Peatlands are made up of decomposed forest debris. They have been around for thousands of years and are home to thousands of plants and animals, including endangered keystone species such as the orangutan....  http://blog.cifor.org/36991/indonesia-on-fire-again-and-again?fnl=en

Video - Indonesia on fire. Join scientists as they visit the burning peatland in Central Kalimantan and describe the causes and effects. by Center for International Forestry Research @cifor 30 Oct 2015 http://blog.cifor.org/37012/watch-indonesia-on-fire?fnl=en

Life amid the fires and haze of Central Kalimantan - A visual journey through smoke-covered landscapes and villages by Center for International Forestry Research @cifor 27 Oct 2015 In Central Kalimantan, schoolchildren are missing classes, farmers are losing their harvests, and orangutans are losing their homes. The effects of the fires and smoke – among the worst seen in Southeast Asia in years – are far-reaching and devastating. During a trip to Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan in mid-October 2015, scientists from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and their partners saw and documented just some of the ways that communities, wildlife, the environment and the economy are being affected. For the full album, visit our Flickr page: Fire and Haze, Central Kalimantan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cifor/sets/72157660141979565

Smear campaign against Indonesian palm oil underway: GAPKI Thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | National | Mon, October 26 2015, 2:48 PM 

See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/26/smear-campaign-against-indonesian-palm-oil-underway-gapki.html#sthash.ugrb1F34.dpuf

31 October 2015: Rains arrive (they were due end Oct / early Nov) and Sumatra-Kalimantan haze abates, VW excess emissions will kill 59 Americans

Rain in Indonesia Dampens Forest Fires That Spread Toxic Haze By JOE COCHRANEOCT. 28, 2015; Torrential rains overnight on Tuesday in the regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan — where forest fires have been raging for weeks, sickening hundreds of thousands of people — have significantly reduced the size and number of fires, said Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs. “I hope we have turned the corner,” he said in an interview. “If the rain continues over the next five days, we are past this.”...He said the number of “hot spots,” areas where satellite imagery shows heavy forest fires, had dropped to 291 on Wednesday from 1,578 on Monday because of the heavy rains...Seventeen Indonesian civilians have died from respiratory illnesses caused by the haze, as well as one firefighter in an operational accident, Mr. Luhut said....http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/world/asia/indonesia-forest-fire-toxic-haze.html?smid=li-share&_r=0

Widespread shower activities in the region have helped to subdue the land fires in Kalimantan. However, some smoke haze was still observed in parts of Sumatra. Updated 7:46 PM 29 Oct  http://asmc.asean.org/home/
Volkswagen's Excess Emissions Will Kill 59 Americans: Study; An MIT and Harvard study is the first peer-reviewed estimate of the health impacts of Volkswagen's faulty software code.  by Tom Randall October 30, 2015 — 9:31 PM HKT; Volkswagen's emissions scandal now has an estimated death toll. The excess emissions that the company concealed will be responsible for about 59 early deaths in the U.S. alone, according to a sweeping new study. The implications for Europe are far worse. The study, by researchers at MIT and Harvard, is the first peer-reviewed estimate of the health impacts of Volkswagen's faulty software code, designed to conceal harmful pollutants. If the cars are all recalled by the end of next year, another 130 deaths may be avoided, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Environmental Research Letters.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-30/volkswagen-s-excess-emissions-will-kill-59-americans-study?cmpid=BBD103015_BIZ

22 October 2015: KL-ites pressured and frustrated at Haze disruptions. Southern Thailand tourist belt blanketed by haze. Singapore BT graphic comparing Haze data. Singapore air pollution recently soared over 400.

Editor's note: I can now see in KL social media some anti-palm oil views from people never before caring or knowing about palm oil. Some are associating the haze with palm oil. KL-ites also talking about boycotting certain makes of paper products. I sense sheer frustration at the dismal smog outlook as we're in the second month of dense smog (and likely a good dollop of depression due to the greyness). People I bumped into in KL today were mightily frustrated at the 4 days of no school for their kids / grand kids (schools with classrooms better equipped to handle the haze i.e. enclosed with air-conditioning, were also pressured to close); the urban working population felt the pressure of how to work and handle kids out of school. Schools reopen tomorrow despite still high measures in Klang Valley - only northern states remain closed - showing an easing of Ministry of Education policy. People sense a lack of will in business-political circles over the haze and some are turning to thinking about making gestures with what they choose to buy or boycott. Economic losses are rising, as the dense smog drifts up to the southern Thai tourist belt.

source. www.aqicn.org accessed 9.45pm today; shows Malaysia headline measures

in 200s (PM10 and not PM2.5 basis) drifting up to parts of southern Thailand

DPM: Unfair to pressure Indonesia govt over haze Last updated on 22 October 2015 - 08:26pm  by Aiezat Fadzell, BERNAMA  KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not put any form of pressure on Indonesia to tackle the cross-border haze menace originating from the republic. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said such a move would be unfair to Indonesia which was earnestly undertaking efforts to put out the  fires on its peat land.  "It's unfair to put any pressure on Indonesia. President Joko Widodo has shown strong commitment to solving the problem in the long term," he told reporters after opening the first Putrajaya International Security Dialogue, here, today.... http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1589680?google_editors_picks=true

1,600 schools in 3 northern states remain closed tomorrow Published: 22 October 2015 6:21 PM; ...The ministry said 1,600 schools in Perlis, Penang and Perak with 728,739 students were affected by the directive, except for schools in Kedah that were normally closed on Fridays. Schools in other states are to reopen tomorrow...... "Schools also have to remind and advise their students to always take care of their health, by covering their mouths and nose when they are in school," the circular from the ministry said. The smoke in Malaysia is caused by forest fires and burning in plantations in neighbouring Indonesia. It has forced thousands of schools to be closed several times now due to the bad air since last month. – October 22, 2015. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/1600-schools-in-3-northern-states-remain-closed-tomorrow#sthash.6taxVDfF.dpuf

'Worst haze in a decade' blankets southern Thailand - Prevailing winds in the recent weeks have brought the smog to Thailand, stoking tensions and creating a headache for the country's vital tourism industry.  UPDATED: 22 Oct 2015 16:54; BANGKOK: Dense haze produced by Indonesian forest fires has caused some of the worst pollution levels in southern Thailand for a decade, officials said Thursday (Oct 22), delaying flights in an area popular with tourists.... Thai officials Thursday said air quality had dipped to unhealthy levels in seven southern provinces, with particularly high readings in southwestern Songkhla province where some flights have been delayed or turned back. "It's considered a crisis. It's the worst in 10 years," Halem Jemarican, head of the Environment Office in Songkhla province, told AFP by phone. "The key factor is the wind. It's strong at the hot spot origins but when it reaches Thailand the winds weaken so the haze stays around for longer," he added... Earlier this month several planes packed with beach-bound tourists to Phuket and Koh Samui were forced to turn back because of haze levels. Thailand's Public Health Ministry said it had distributed 55,700 facemasks in the south with a further 40,000 were on the way. In a statement the country's Pollution Control Department said it had "called for Indonesia to implement measures to reduce burning in order to mitigate haze"....While the loudest complaints have come from leaders in relatively affluent Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, it is poor Indonesian villagers who are suffering most. Pictures this week revealed a thick, yellow haze smothering Palangkaraya in central Indonesia, with locals forced to go about their daily life regardless of the extreme health hazards.....http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/worst-haze-in-a-decade/2210410.html


A whopping 106,783 fires have been detected in Indonesia so far in 2015 – and experts think things could deteriorate further. But just how bad is the situation, relative to the past and in comparison to other countries’ emissions? The Business Times peers through the hazy issue, using data from the Global Fire Emissions Database and the World Resource Institute. BY KELLY TAY

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/infographics/burning-shame

source: Twitter on 19 October shows Singapore air pollution

 reading soaring to year's high in 400s

21 October 2015: WALHI assist on community's $3.5 billion class action suit against plantation giants and Wilmar as region suffers unprecedented haze, Indonesia’s palm oil fires are emitting more greenhouse gases every day than the entire US; from readers on slow process of transferring new technologies to small farmers and the Thai agricultural haze problem 

Editor's note: Question on the class action suit include whether the type of companies targeted include those in the supply-chain buying fruit from smallholder fire zones?

From an agronomist (specialist in Indonesia smallholder extension work): "The haze is an unfortunate and dangerous event and incredibly hard for the Indonesian authorities to stop. If alternative methods of clearing refuse can be promoted by the extension services, that will lead to a progressive lessening, but unfortunately the extension services are not all that effective. As you know, most commercial estates do not burn any more and the alternative is certainly feasible. Transferring new technologies to small farmers is a slow process, as we know all too well from our experiences with cocoa, vegetables, seaweed and cattle in NTT.  But people do respond, and eventually there's a snowball effect."
From a reader in Thailand: Editorial in the Bangkok Post mistakenly blames corporate agriculture for northern Thailand's serious haze problems - http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/712340/agribusiness-behind-haze. Interesting that the corn industry is blamed, where there are no corporations working in any area of Thailand, let alone the North. The closest to corporate farming that has become well established in the north is sugar cane... ... 80-90% is still hand harvested and burnt off prior to harvest.... farmers tend to burn the remaining residue to "clean up" their field even though no longer required, they just don't get the picture that they need to change. We used to regularly get "black snow" as the locals called it in Takfa... Burning rice paddies is also a high contributor to this, with this acrid smoke due to the amount of green material remaining in the paddy......Myanmar and Laos,  While they do contribute, its more a home grown problem...

South Sumatra residents to file class action suit against firms causing haze - The companies suspected of burning land and causing transboundary haze are Asia Agri, Golden Agri Resources, Wilmar, Sime Darby, and Asia Pulp and Paper. By Saifulbahri Ismail POSTED: 06 Oct 2015 19:39  UPDATED: 09 Oct 2015 10:26; JAKARTA: A group of Indonesian residents in Jambi, South Sumatra are in the final stages of preparing a class action lawsuit against five companies responsible for the forest fires that have caused massive air pollution in Indonesia and across the region. They are expected to serve notice to these companies this month....According to reports, thousands of people living in Jambi have developed respiratory infections after breathing the acrid air, while others have suffered lost income.... They are claiming a total of 51 trillion rupiah (US$3.5 billion) in losses."There are two kinds of losses: Firstly, losses that can be calculated to around 7 trillion rupiah, the companies have to compensate that. There is also the cost of recovering the land which has been destroyed, and we have calculated that to be 44 trillion rupiah," said Mr Musri.The Indonesian Forum for the Environment or Walhi, is helping the plaintiffs with their lawsuit. Walhi has conducted its own legal battle against companies and acknowledges it faces a challenge ahead...."Walhi won its claim during the forest fires which destroyed some 11.6 million hectares in 1998, and one more in 2000 in South Kalimantan,” said Mr Mukri Fatriani, an ecology disaster campaigner from Walhi. “From then on, 14 years have passed and we have not won any other claims." Walhi said that even though there are clear laws, these have not been enforced. Those taking the companies to court are confident of getting a positive result..... "The 2015 incident is different from earlier incidents. This year is extraordinary,” said Mr Musri. “Indonesia and our neighbours Malaysia and Singapore are directly affected. It wasn’t as bad before. So, this is what gives us energy to fight.... “Secondly, I’m confident that because this claim is from the desire of the community, we will try. If you ask what our chances are, the law has to improve to answer the haze problem objectively, and I'm confident we can win this legal battle.".... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/south-sumatra-residents/2173634.html

Carbon bomb - Indonesia’s palm oil fires are emitting more greenhouse gases every day than the entire US  Steve Mollman   October 20, 2015; ... So far this year, Indonesia’s fires have produced more pollution than Germany does in a year. On 26 days from the period of Sept. 1 to Oct. 14, their daily emissions surpassed those of the entire US (the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China), according to researchers led by Guido van der Werf from VU University Amsterdam. They calculated that the nearly 100,000 fires in Indonesia detected to date this year emitted more than 1,000 metric tons (1,102 tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively. That puts the country on track for its worst fire year since 2006. On Oct. 14 alone there were more than 4,700 fire alerts—that’s more than on any single day in the past two years. So why are these fires so potent? More than half of them this year have occurred on peatland areas, concentrated mainly in south Sumatra, south and central Kalimantan (on Borneo), and Papua, according to the World Resources Institute, citing data from Global Forest Watch Fires.....http://qz.com/528160/indonesias-palm-oil-fires-are-emitting-more-greenhouse-gases-every-day-than-the-entire-us/


Haze fallout: RedMart withdraws APP products TODAY reports: The online grocer withdraws all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), after the National Environment Agency launched an investigation into the company’s role in the forest fires in Indonesia. POSTED: 20 Oct 2015 07:44; Since the NEA revealed the names of the firms it is probing, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) have started a campaign urging retailers and other businesses to declare they do not source for materials or products from the firms.The SEC has also restricted the use of APP’s Singapore Green Label certification. Businesses that have come aboard to make the declaration and pull APP products off their shelves include NTUC FairPrice, Prime and Sheng Siong. Other companies such as Watsons have clarified they do not stock Paseo, NICE and Jolly brands by APP, and is working with suppliers to run an audit to ensure that their products are not procured from the six companies accused of contributing to the haze pollution. RedMart said it carries 13 other paper products that are certified with the Singapore Green Label, and its own RedMart-branded paper products are certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). “RedMart has also created a ‘FSC’ certified search option and filter within its Paper & Tissue category to encourage its customers to buy sustainably produced products,” said the company.....http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/haze-fallout-redmart/2204456.html


Countries now understand how hard it is to put out forest fires: South Sumatra governor - South Sumatra province was one of the areas most badly hit by forest fires, and for more than a week, international help had focused on extinguishing the blaze. POSTED: 21 Oct 2015 22:08; ...“I don't want to mention any names, but there are lessons learnt. They now know putting out the fires in the peatlands is extraordinarily difficult, so now there's no more speculation from other countries. That is good." South Sumatra province is one of the areas most badly hit by forest fires, and for more than one week, international help has focused on extinguishing the blaze. Mr Noerdin says forest fires also occur every year in Australia, Canada, and the United States. But the difference is that because those fires are not in the peatlands, they can be put out a lot easier, says Mr Noerdin....... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/countries-now-understand/2208776.html

Schools in several Malaysian states to close for fourth day due to haze - The areas affected include Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Sabah and Perak, which had Unhealthy readings Wednesday afternoon. POSTED: 21 Oct 2015 20:02 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/schools-in-several/2208334.html

20 October 2015: President Jokowi said that the fires covered 1.7 million hectares,  Siti Nurbaya says to uncover the real actors behind the fire cases (not only catch people ordered to burn it), "(business) mafias and their puppets are partying, whilst the majority of the Indonesian people live in the wallow of poverty and squalor"; 1.7 million hectares in perspective, economic cost of haze to Singapore (including Prof YK Ng view)

Singapore and Indonesia haze: Interactive before-and-after photos show dramatically reduced visibility By David Sim September 29, 2015 12:00 BST Indonesia has deployed nearly 21,000 personnel to fight forest fires raging in its northern islands, as thick smoke cloaks much of the region. Hazardous smog has blanketed parts of northern Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. South-east Asia has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, and the fires have been exacerbated this year by the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as a prolonged dry season has parched the soil, fuelling the flames. These interactive before-and-after photos show how visibility in neighbouring Singapore has been dramatically affected.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/singapore-indonesia-haze-interactive-before-after-photos-show-dramatically-reduced-visibility-1521643

 

ASMC website screenshots

On the extent of the fires (see below for context)

1.7 million hectares. While stressing last Friday (9/10) that the Indonesian government had tried its best to put up the ongoing forest fires, President Jokowi said that the fires covered 1.7 million hectares in Kalimantan (770,000 ha), Sumatra (593,000 ha) and in South Sumatra (221,704 ha), fajar.co.id reported. They include peatland forests. This is approximately 25 times the area of Singapore city, which stands at 71 thousand hectares....... The Indonesian government had done its best in the past months to extinguish the forest fires utilizing local resources. Its efforts included producing artificial rain with military aircraft. No less than 2,600 military troops had been deployed in the past weeks to help tackle the forest fire disaster in those regions, Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said in Jakarta on Sunday (10/10). Last Friday he visited Jambi where TNI troops were digging ditches to let water flow through peatland sites, a method of mitigating the spread of fire in these forests..... Unfortunately, all the efforts made by Indonesia, under the coordination of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), had been unsuccessful in catching up with the rapidly spreading fires. Accordingly, President Jokowi expects that, with foreign assistance, the ongoing forest fires could be completely resolved by the end of this month........ The president said last Thursday (8/11) that Japan and Russia were making preparations to dispatch their aircrafts to support Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian planes in putting out forest fires in Sumatra. While other countries including China, Australia and South Korea were reported to also have the intention in contributing similar kind of assistance........ Meanwhile, there had been limited reports about the ongoing handling of forest fires in Kalimantan. Relatively thick haze from Kalimantan and Sumatra had reached Singapore and Malaysia........ At the moment, Jokowi said, Indonesia urgently needed aircraft that can carry 12-15 tons of water. Indonesian aircraft currently used to tackle forest fires had capacity of 2-3 tons only. Moreover, larger planes were also needed to transport fire extinguishing troops........ http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/22937/why-indonesia-takes-time-to-accept-foreign-helps-in-forest-fires-case/

“Satellite photos showed 58 thousand hectares, instead of 8,000 hectares,” said Siti Nurbaya when reviewing the location of fires in Rimbo Panjang, Kampar, Riau, Sunday (20/9). Siti Nurbaya claimed that she did not understand why the comprehensive reports of the fire could be different.Even so, she said that this needs to be done and all parties need to work together to tackle the fire. “Governments can’t solve this alone. We must work together,” she added. She stressed, public should receive fair information related to law enforcement for arsonists, because it has become the instruction of the President Joko Widodo. The law enforcement have to uncover the real actor behind the fire cases, not only catch people who were ordered to burn it........ https://treeangle.co.id/news/39059/2015/09/forest-fires-in-sumatra-reach-58-thousand-hectares


Effect on people at 900+

September 15, 2015 MYT 10:24:24 AM  Thousands flee Pekanbaru as haze hits record high MEDAN: Thousands are fleeing Pekanbaru as the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the Riau province capital, which is about 280km away from Singapore, surged to a record 984 yesterday........ Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar yesterday declared a haze emergency in Riau province. She said Riau Acting Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman had also set up aid stations at several locations........ The minister's move, however, came too late for Wahyuni, a student from Jambi. The 15-year-old died last Friday after coughing for three days prior to her death. She was said to have had difficulty breathing because of the haze. "We knew Wahyuni had a pre-existing heart condition," said her mother, Ms Nuraini. "Her heart was weak but she never had breathing difficulty like this before."....... Mr Roni Amriel, an MP in Pekanbaru, said the city is no longer liveable because of the haze, and asked the municipal government to start evacuating residents. "Action must be taken, including evacuation," said Mr Roni, adding that the ideal destination for evacuees is West Sumatra, which shares its borders with Riau. He also said Pekanbaru city, the province of Riau, or the central government could foot the bill for the evacuation........ Visibility in Pekanbaru was reduced to between 100m and 200m yesterday afternoon, while Dumai and Pelalawan - which are also in Riau - had a visibility level of 50m....... Dr Slamet Budiarto, who heads the Jakarta Chapter of the Indonesian Doctors' Association, said the PSI reading of 984 should "trigger an evacuation". He added that at that level, the haze could cause nausea and physical weakness and, in the long term, may lead to cancer. ... http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thousands-flee-pekanbaru-as-haze-hits-record-high


Are there commercial business interests?


“This is only oil and gas, we have not counted mafias from the food and other strategic business sectors. It is truly a pity for the people and poor citizens of Indonesia. The mafia and their puppets are partying, whilst the majority of the Indonesian people live in the wallow of poverty and squalor,” said Erwin as quoted by Kompas.com.... http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/15760/mafia-migas-who-are-the-people-behind-indonesias-oil-and-gas-mafia/

A lucrative illegal market for land to plant crops such as oil palm is a major cause of annual fires in Indonesia, a senior forestry researcher says, with the racket driven by complicit local officials and the global demand for commodities. Dr Herry Purnomo is part of a team at the Bogor-based Centre for International Forestry Research looking at the political economy of fires and haze in Indonesia. The political economy, he explained, refers to how economic actors at different levels influence and weaken law enforcement at all levels. "The actors can be individual powerful elites that are connected to the companies," he added.... PROFITING BY BURNING If you grab the land, the forest - it can be concession land or state land - you can sell it. My research shows that the price is around eight million rupiah (S$800) per hectare. But if you burn that land, the price will increase. http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/lucrative-illegal-market-for-crop-land-a-key-cause-of-fires-researcher


Videos

Indonesia - Haze causes serious health hazards Published on Jul 21, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoJKz5CbHIg

Deforestation across Kalimantan where fires are raging https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebilq6k9Duo

Land Fires: Thick Haze in Central Kalimantan Capital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyhZ-CU1f2g

Indonesia - East Kalimantan fires https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYvPwd9qVZE

Indonesia, ASEAN, battle perceptions of inaction over haze and illegal burning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTOavFUTohM

 

1.7 million ha in context

Trafalgar Square has an area of about one hectare

100 ha is 1`square km so 1.7 million ha is about 17,000 square km:

• Belgium is 30,000 sq km i.e. 57% of its land area
• Brunei is 5,300 sq km i.e. 3.2x of its land area
• El Salvador is 21,000 sq km i.e. 81% of its land area
• Fiji is 18,300 sq km i.e. 92% of its land area
• Israel 21,600 sq km i.e. 79% of its land area
• Kuwait 17,800 sq km i.e. 96% of its land area
• Swaziland 17,200 sq km i.e equivalent of its land area
• New York, USA is 55,000 sq km i.e. 31% of its land area
• Hawaii, USA is 11,000 sq km i.e. 1.54x its land area
• Maine, USA is 35,000 sq km i.e. about half of its land area

*Current Indonesia fires at 1.7 million hectares or 17,000 sq km (as reported 10 October 2015) versus size of other wildfires:

• China, 1987 – The Black Dragon fire burnt a total of 72,884 square kilometres (72.9 million ha) of forest along the Amur river
• Indonesia, 1997 and 1998 – Unprecedented forest fires in Kalimantan and East Sumatra. 97,000 km2 (9.7 million ha) of forest were destroyed, more than 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2 was released to the atmosphere
• Australia, 1851, Black Thursday - approximately 5 million ha, or a quarter of Victoria
• Indonesia, 1982 and 1983 - Massive forest fires in Kalimantan and East Sumatra. 36,000 km2 (3.6 million ha) of forest burned down. There are other forest fires in Java and Sulawesi on the same year.
• *Current Indonesia fires at 1.7 million hectares or 17,000 sq km
• Bolivia, 2010 Bolivia forest fires, 15,000 square kilometres or 1.5 million ha
• North America, 1950, Chinchaga Fire, British Columbia and Alberta, 1.4 million ha
• North America, 1825, Miramichi FIre, New Brunswick - 1.2 million ha
• North America, 1910, Great Fire of 1910, Idaho-Montana-Washington, 1.2 million ha
• North America, 1871, The Great Michigan Fire, Michigan - 1 million ha
• North America, 2011, Richardson Backcountry Fire, Alberta, 707,000 ha
• North America, 2008, Summer California wildfires, 630,000 ha
• North America, 2004, Taylor Complex Fire, Alaska, 528,000 ha
• Australia, 2009, Black Saturday bushfires - 450,000 ha

source:  List of wildfires in Wikipedia here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wildfires 

Economic cost of the haze - Singapore perspectives

During the 1997 haze, an episode that lasted three months, a conservative estimate of the economic costs of the haze in Singapore (by Professor Euston Quah, one of the two authors of this piece) was US$163 million. In 2013, the one-week haze period which saw the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reaching a record high of 401 led to estimated economic losses of US$50 million, a figure extrapolated from previous findings. In the future, the economic costs are likely to increase....http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/when-the-haze-doesnt-go-away

Singapore’s losses to haze underestimated, says Nanyang professor Published: 6 July 2013 9:34 AM While it is complicated to put a price tag on the social, economic and psychological effects of the haze-induced damage, the figure of S$1 (RM2.5) per day per person is a gross underestimation. Nanyang Technological University economics professor Ng Yew Kwang said some economists had been too conservative in estimating the damage to Singapore from Indonesia's forest fires. It had been estimated that Singapore had lost about S$5 million a day, including medical bills, tourism losses, impact on businesses, purchase of face masks and similar damage.... Ng said such "lower-bound" estimates had been made by Professor Euston Quah, Nanyang Technological University's Economics Division head, and OCBC Bank's Selena Ling. Writing in The Straits Times, Ng said that while not inaccurate, the figures grossly underestimated the severity of the problem as the adequate damage figure should be much higher. He cited a World Wide Fund for Nature report which said that the haze-induced health expenses in 1997 accounted for only 12 per cent of the total damage. The lost tourism revenues accounted for 78 per cent while the airline industry's losses made up the remaining 10 per cent. Ng argued that the negative health effects of breathing polluted air and the side effects should make up the bulk of the losses.....Face masks flew off the shelves in drug stores and other retailers like fresh loaves of bread from the oven as Singaporeans rushed to get protection from the haze. The Health Ministry cooled the panic when face masks were sold out by distributing fresh stocks from its own armoury of about nine million masks. Ng said to gauge the costs of the haze crisis, he had to ask himself what percentage of his annual salary would he be willing to forgo to make the problem go away. His answer was not less than 10 per cent. "What if the skies remained hazy? How much compensation would make me indifferent to the situation?" His answer was not less than 15 per cent of his annual salary. Ng said the average of the 10 per cent and 15 per cent figures is 12.5 per cent. This meant that a rough estimate of the haze costs to him was no less than 12.5 per cent of his annual income. "So let's assume that your annual salary is $100,000 (RM250,000), 12.5 per cent of which is $12,500, which is the equivalent to 50 per cent of your quarterly salary of $25,000. "As the haze outbreak lasts an average of three months annually, the costs of the event can go as high as 50 per cent of Singaporean's earned income during this period." Ng also put up the assumption that his willingness to pay a percentage of his earned income was higher than that of the average Singaporean. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/singapores-losses-to-haze-underestimated-says-nanyang-professor#sthash.B1UjVjef.dpuf

Singapore Haze Starts to Crimp Business By Natasha Brereton-Fukui  Updated June 21, 2013 1:46 p.m. ET; SINGAPORE—The severe haze choking parts of Southeast Asia is already hurting some businesses in Singapore, especially in tourism and retail, and could dent the regional economy more broadly if the smoke persists, as some officials warned it might. Singapore's air-pollution index soared to a record of 401 Friday, taking it well into "hazardous" territory before dropping back. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, air quality was still in the moderate zone at 81, but Johor state in the south was hit worse, with an index reading as high as 323, which is considered "hazardous" as well....Before this past week, the previous record of 226 was set in September 1997, during a period of air pollution that lasted for several months.  Work has continued on construction sites and in offices and financial markets—some employees have opted to work from home—and flights out of Changi Airport are operating with a slightly longer gap between planes due to reduced visibility. However, several fast-food chains, including  McDonald's  and Pizza Hut, have stopped making deliveries to protect their staff from the smog. Some offices have handed out face masks and even installed air purifiers, and the government has asked companies to minimize employees' work outside....http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324577904578558413711997252

Singapore, Malaysia face economic hit from prolonged smog  Jun 24, 2013 5:33am EDT By John O'Callaghan; The haze crisis in 1997 lasted about three months and cost Southeast Asia an estimated $9 billion from disruptions to air travel, health expenses and other business impacts. Economists and businesses say the costs are already mounting about a week since air pollution levels in the countries shot up to unhealthy and sometimes hazardous levels... "The haze has definitely affected our business. Our sales fell around 40 percent in the past week," said Goo Wai Chien, who sells pizza and pasta at a hawker center in Singapore's business district. "But hopefully the situation is improving."...Irvin Seah, DBS economist in Singapore, said the overall impact could be worse than in 1997 if the haze drags on. "In 1997, the level of pollution was not this severe, and on the other hand the tourism industry's contribution to the economy was relatively smaller back then." Tourism makes up 6.4 percent of Malaysia's economy and about 5 to 6 percent of Singapore's. Analysts see that sector taking an immediate knock, even if they cannot quantify the damage. "The impact will be negative," ANZ, a bank, said in a research report, referring to Singapore. "Shopping, restaurants, bars and outdoor entertainment will all suffer during this hazy period."...http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/us-southeastasia-haze-impact-idUSBRE95N0BS20130624

Transboundary Haze: How Might The Singapore Government Minimise Its Occurrence? https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Transboundary-Haze.pdf

Indonesia's Fires and Haze: The Cost of Catastrophe  By David Glover, Timothy Jessup 1999 (2006 reprint) https://books.google.com.my/books?id=eMBu_rXSq3QC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=estimate+of+loss+from+haze&source=bl&ots=IPZaSkCOyp&sig=_pkRGCL6XTu-GbLsoBE4wuTMobI&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=estimate%20of%20loss%20from%20haze&f=false

19 October 2015: Not much for Peninsular Malaysia to hope for when Pekanbaru-Jambi-Palembang readings: 464, 999, 700... schools close in several Malaysia states

 Editor's note: I've been collating some data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/184t5ORDGWgcYLKlN5w_zdo_whzk5trUp-hfORpjO6zI/edit?usp=sharing; and the just casually observing the forecast shown in aqicn.org website, it seems to take in the wind direction expected. Not much for Peninsular Malaysia to hope for when Pekanbaru-Jambi-Palembang readings: 464, 999, 700.

Haze: Schools in three states, Putrajaya, KL, Tawau, Kuching, Samarahan ordered to close by Suganthi Suparmaniam, Astro Awani | Published on October 18, 2015 21:27 MYT  http://english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/haze-schools-three-states-putrajaya-kl-tawau-kuching-samarahan-ordered-close-76927

Haze: Hundreds of passengers stranded after flights cancelled in Sabah; KOTA KINABALU (The Star/Asia News Network) - Five flights on the Tawau-Kota Kinabalu route have been cancelled due to the haze, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in airports.  http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/haze-hundreds-of-passengers-stranded-after-flights-cancelled-in-Sabah


Are the products you buy connected to the haze? Supermarkets in Singapore including NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong have pulled the plug on the products of haze-linked firms. Here is a look at how some of these companies are connected to the fires in Indonesia and the products they sell. PUBLISHED: OCT 16, 2015 http://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2015/10/are-the-products-we-buy-connected-to-the-haze/index.html

Hot spots doubled in Central Kalimantan Published Oct 4, 2015, 5:00 am SGT; Ministry data shows 12,327 fires registered last month compared to 5,574 a year ago by Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja Indonesia Correspondent In Jakarta; Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province continued to be shrouded in thick haze as the Pollutant Standards Index in its capital Palangkaraya rose to 1,917 before sensors stopped sending updates after 11am yesterday. The province has been the worst hit by forest fires raging over land embedded with coal deposits that make them almost impossible to put out during this dry spell. This has led to a spike in the number of hot spots recorded by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, particularly in September this year. Data from the ministry show that Central Kalimantan - on Borneo island - registered 12,327 hot spots in September this year, compared with just 5,574 fires in the same month last year. South Sumatra, the other badly hit province, on Sumatra island saw about 11,450 hot spots, more t an three times the number in the same period last year. This brought the total number of hot spots in September to 39,672 this year, compared to just under 15,000 fires recorded last year...http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/hot-spots-doubled-in-central-Kalimantan

SPECIAL REPORT - Tough to pinpoint haze culprits  Sep 15, 2015, 5:00 am SGT Poor law enforcement, corruption, unclear rules on land use hamper probes: Observers by David Fogarty and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja;  "Studies of fire and haze in Kalimantan and Sumatra firmly point towards small-scale farmers and other under-the-radar, mid-scale landowners rather than large companies as the main cause of fires and haze," wrote Dr Erik Meijaard, a conservation scientist of the Borneo Futures initiative, in a recent commentary in the Jakarta Globe.... Evidence shows that the majority of fires usually occur outside timber, logging and oil palm concessions and that farmers are partly to blame. Complicating the picture further is that many pulpwood concessions have communities living inside them. In some cases, transmigrants illegally claim a piece of land by clearing it using fire and then planting crops - particularly in protected forest areas. Indonesian law allows farmers to clear forested land using fire, provided the ar a cleared does not exceed 2ha. "We have seen largely two types of actors involved in fires in Sumatra," Mr Aditya Bayunanda, WWF Indonesia's Forest Commodity Market Transformation Leader, told The Straits Times yesterday. "First of all, people are actively setting fires to clear lands, often as part of grabbing new lands. Land-grabbing has recently been increasing inside protected areas as much of Sumatra's lands had been leased to companies. Such illegal encroachments are often sponsored by companies, financiers or even government officials," said Mr Aditya, who is also a member of Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of local NGOs. Second, he said, oil palm and pulp plantations prime the landscape for fire by opening up lands, particularly flammable peat lands.... http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/tough-to-pinpoint-haze-culprits

16 October 2015: Singapore moves on "haze-free" products - apart from wood, paper makers, SEC plans to work with others such as palm oil industry; REDD and Indonesia peatland burning

Editor's notes:

• I had a chat with major supplier of stationery products who recently signed commitment to a big Singapore client to replace paper products currently supplied from APP (part of the Sinar Mas group). As trader in supply-chain, his company is looking at $15,000 of costs per year to be FSC certified; but it is expected that 5% higher prices for such products would cover higher cost of such certified product. In checking with Malaysia state policies, he indicates that the Federal policy is 5% take-up of a Malaysia "green tag" labeled products every year. APP is at the forefront as it has branded consumer products, whilst other suppliers who are not so vertically integrated have been less exposed in the Singapore consumer boycott push. The two big Indonesia pulp and paper companies are APP and APRIL. This trader is looking at supply from Thailand (no peat fire risk) and further afield for FSC (much of this from Scandinavia).
•  I also had some feedback from another part of Malaysia - "Nothing changes, I recall the "Haze" 20 years ago: in Kuantan if the wind blew one way we got the smoke from Sumatra and if it blew the other way it came form Kalimantan. we went about 6 months without seeing the local hill with the phone masts on - all of 1km away!"

  

Can REDD save Indonesia’s peatlands from burning?   By Chris Lang 14 October 2015  http://www.redd-monitor.org/2015/10/14/can-redd-save-indonesias-peatlands-from-burning/

14 October 2015: Singapore moves on "haze-free" products - apart from wood, paper makers, SEC plans to work with others such as palm oil industry

http://khorreports-palmoil.blogspot.sg/2015/10/singapore-moves-on-haze-free-products.html

11 October 2015: $ billions of damages from haze, VW blames rogue engineers for emissions cheating! China Open tennis hit by hazardous smog "player screams vomit"

Smoky Haze Costing Southeast Asia Billions of Dollars - Fires in Indonesia, from land-clearing for agriculture, are affecting millions of people, releasing climate-changing gases; By Ben Otto  Oct. 9, 2015 7:22 a.m. ET JAKARTA, Indonesia—A smoky haze from land-clearing fires in Indonesia is choking Southeast Asia and causing billions of dollars in damages, threatening to become the worst event of its kind on record. The hazardous white smog mainly from agricultural fires on Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi islands has in recent weeks closed thousands of schools, grounded hundreds of flights and raised pollution levels in Indonesia. It has also hit... http://www.wsj.com/articles/smoky-haze-envelops-southeast-asia-1444389741

Southeast Asia's Haze Explained 1:16 - with Greenpeace footage, http://www.wsj.com/public/page/videoEmailThisScrim.html?url=http://on.wsj.com/1Qdpbrn&guid=4DD522A1EC6F4C5AB9315B96983BD7EB&title=Southeast%20Asia's%20Haze%20Explained

Volkswagen U.S. CEO Says He Didn’t Know in 2014 of Emissions Defeat Devices - Michael Horn tells lawmakers he was only told at the time about problems with emissions compliance in diesel cars, By Mike Spector and Amy Harder  Updated Oct. 9, 2015 8:31 a.m. ET;  "...rejected suggestions there was a broad conspiracy at the German auto maker to cheat on diesel-emissions tests, instead pointing to rogue engineers as likely culprits in the scandal.... "...http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-u-s-ceo-says-he-didnt-know-in-2014-of-emissions-defeat-devices-1444316371?mod=djem10point

Player screams vomit at China Open, and in the stands, the facemask is increasingly standard equipment Friday October 9, 201506:00 PM GMT+8; BEIJING, Oct 9 — A player’s complaint that the smog made him vomit and the unflattering sight of fans in face masks have put Beijing’s notorious air pollution back in the spotlight after haze hit this week’s China Open. “Hazardous” levels of smog cleared by yesterday, but not before Martin Klizan’s angry tirade and pictures highlighting the murky air went worldwide on social and traditional media. In a widely reported Facebook post, since deleted, the Slovakian world number 42 said he coughed uncontrollably and then vomited after his defeat to Fabio Fognini, and vowed never to play at the tournament again. “Regardless of the result of today’s match... it has been such an extreme smog in Beijing today that half an hour after the beginning of the match I started to cough uncontrollably after every point and I had to vomit after the match,” the post read.  World No. 42 Martin Klizan, on his now deleted Facebook post: ‘Unfortunately, I will have to leave this tournament out from my calendar for the rest of my tennis career.’ — Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP file picWorld No. 42 Martin Klizan, on his now deleted Facebook post: ‘Unfortunately, I will have to leave this tournament out from my calendar for the rest of my tennis career.’ — Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP file pic“There is such an extreme smog in this city, that due to my health, which should be a priority of every tournament organiser, unfortunately, I will have to leave this tournament out from my calendar for the rest of my tennis career.” - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/sports/article/player-screams-vomit-at-china-open-and-in-the-stands-the-facemask-is-increa#sthash.huEHeQij.dpuf

4 October 2015: Zahid - Indonesia’s 3-year plan to combat haze deemed too long, need to improve haze pollution measure, haze kills millions of chickens reduces vegetable production; Peninsular Malaysia closes most schools for Mon-Tue

Editor's note: Solutions unlikely to be rapid; note the intractable haze problems also noted in northern ASEAN haze belts too.... For those looking for kid N95 masks, they are pretty pricey. I've seen these so far, Vogmask http://www.vogmask.sg/ and (a Singapore made/designed) disposable mask... http://www.airplus.sg/  with micro ventilator add on... But what about all those living closer to the epicenter of the haze zones?

source: http://aqicn.org, accessed 2.55pm, 4 October 2015. Note: Basis of reporting in Malaysia is PM10 and Singapore and Indonesia uses PM2.5. Also the headline measure use different lagged averages of hourly data. 

Ahmad Zahid: Indonesia’s plan to combat haze deemed too long  by nadirah h. rodzi  Updated: Sunday October 4, 2015 MYT 12:23:41 PM....Last Tuesday, BBC reported Indonesian president Joko Widodo said he needed time to tackle the forest burning, and that his citizens were also victims of the haze that is affecting the region. In the report, Joko said it would take three years for results to be seen from efforts to end the huge annual fires, as it is "not a problem that you can solve quickly"... 
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/10/04/Ahmad-Zahid-Indonesia-Haza/

Malaysia should follow Singapore in use of technology to measure haze pollution, Zahid says By Ida Lim Sunday October 4, 201512:19 PM GMT+8 - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-should-follow-singapore-in-use-of-technology-to-measure-haze-pollu#sthash.fRJsMSF2.dpuf

 

Haze: Schools to close for two days by oh chin eng AND d. kanyakumari Updated: Sunday October 4, 2015 MYT 2:03:50 PM  http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/10/04/Haze-Schools-to-close-two-days/

 

 Haze forces closure of three airport runways  by rahmah ghazali Updated: Sunday October 4, 2015 MYT 11:03:57 AM  http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/10/04/Haze-Three-airports-closed/

Haze choking Malaysian farms as chickens, vegetable production affected, Oct 2, 2015, 8:51 am SGT... PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The haze in Malaysia is affecting business at farms that rear poultry and produce vegetables as chickens die by the millions in a month and farm produce dwindle, with consumers set to be the biggest losers....He added that this was a big issue every year and that at times the mortality rate could rise up to four million of the 50 million that are produced in a month in peninsular Malaysia.... "Chickens are more sensitive to the haze than humans. They have respiratory problems and become weak. We have to give them vitamins. When they are weak, they are slow to grow and that is not good," said Loo, who is also a farmer....  "Many farmers try and keep the breeder chickens that are meant for culling alive so they can lay more eggs. But even hens become weak during the haze and lay fewer eggs," said Loo.... Sarawak Livestock Breeders Association chairman Lee Jin Chiaw said that egg production has dropped by about 2 per cent. In Johor, the owner of Lew Brothers Poultry Farm Sdn Bhd, Lew Kim Huat said that egg production at its two farms in Ulu Tiram and Layang had declined to about 5 per cent since the start of the haze. "Our hens are becoming restless and weak,'' he said adding that about 28,000 of the 700,000 birds also died due to suffocation, about twice the usual number of deaths..... http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/haze-choking-malaysian-farms-as-chickens-vegetable-production-affected

Malaysia and Indonesia to come up with long-term solution to haze problem   By ADRIAN LAI - 18 September 2015 @ 4:57 PM  http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/malaysia-and-indonesia-come-long-term-solution-haze-problem

Malaysia Evacuates Citizens From Haze-Hit Riau  - Vice President Jusuf Kalla, right, talks with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Jakarta on Friday. (Antara Photo/Milla/Setwapres) By : Basten Gokkon | on 6:56 PM September 18, 2015 http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/malaysia-evacuates-citizens-haze-hit-riau/

29 September 2015: Rise of diesel in Europe was to reduce CO2 emissions but resulted in rise in deadly air pollution; How some smokers stay healthy: genetic factors revealed

The rise of diesel in Europe: the impact on health and pollution - In a bid to reduce CO2 emissions in the 90s, Europe backed a major switch from petrol to diesel cars but the result was a rise in deadly air pollution John Vidal Tuesday 22 September 2015 16.57 BST http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/22/the-rise-diesel-in-europe-impact-on-health-pollution

VW Faces Barrage of Litigation - Plaintiffs’ lawyers move to consolidate suits filed on behalf of consumers By Mike Spector  Updated Sept. 29, 2015 3:25 a.m. ET  Lawyers are moving to consolidate widespread litigation stemming from  Volkswagen AG ’s emissions-cheating scandal, drawing the German auto maker into a prolonged legal case expected to spur rafts of depositions and demands for billions of dollars in damages. http://www.wsj.com/articles/vw-faces-barrage-of-litigation-1443465416?mod=djem10point
VW urged to come clean over which UK diesel vehicles are affected - Lawyers acting for Volkswagen drivers in UK attack ‘lack of clarity’ as UK prime minister calls company’s actions unacceptable by Julia Kollewe Sunday 27 September 2015 17.50 BST  http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/27/vw-uk-diesel-vehicles-affected-lawyers

Take vehicles that fail diesel test off the streets to protect public health - Car industry and the government need to prove that cars can deliver clean emissions for the sake of public health  by Alan Andrews Saturday 26 September 2015 20.49 BST   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/26/vehicles-dirty-diesel-test-streets-public-health

How some smokers stay healthy: genetic factors revealed - British scientific team have identified certain DNA profiles at lower risk of a range of lung diseases and hope their findings might lead to better treatments; Damien Gayle Monday 28 September 2015 09.59 BST http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/28/how-some-smokers-stay-healthy-genetic-factors-revealed?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Gmail

28 September 2015 - Singapore media on the CIFOR finding on illegal market for burnt peatland, Hisham says haze situation needs to be discussed at regional level, schools closed in several Malaysian states today, graphics and photos and social media

 

Editor's note: Given the rather awkward multi-hour averaged PM10 measure (resulting in lower readings than many countries using PM2.5 measure with fewer hours average i.e. 1 hour average, 3 hour average) that Malaysia is using for the haze, there is a another “or” criteria of 500 meter visibility to decide on school closure. Lots of friends report being ill recently. Some quite sanguine about it, saying that one has to get exposure and "build immunity to this." At other end of spectrum are those worrying about tobacco equivalence. With severe El Nino outlook now and into mid-2016, just wondering how much time kids can spend in school during the next dry season! Also heard (but not confirmed) that school exams schedule has been shifted. Some KL-ites suffering haze symptoms reporting Zyrtec sold out - pharmacies are still waiting for new stock with new packaging due in November? (Thus, taking a substitute which seems less effective). Your editor has scratchy eyes and nose block after yesterday being somewhere not enclosed (discovered a door was open). More on the Singapore actions and viewpoints  - especially notable is CIFOR report on illegal land burning for sale to small-time investors.

source: aqicn.org accessed 4.43pm today

International media

How you can trade Southeast Asia's haze by Nyshka Chandran Wednesday, 23 Sep 2015 | 9:57 PM ET; ....The price of palm oil has rallied 7 percent in the past fortnight as a cloak of smog, combined with unusually dry weather, disrupts supply in key Southeast Asian producing countries, and analysts say the gains are set to continue....http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/palm-oil-price-to-rally-as-haze-envelops-southeast-asia.html

Something from a reader, from a different perspective...  This is what happens when Harrison Ford meet Indonesian Minister of Foresty  by notfoundher   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZnzZxumGcw&feature=em-share_video_user  

Singapore media

Lucrative illegal market for crop land a key cause of fires: Researcher CIFOR  Published 5 hours ago by David Fogarty Assistant Foreign Editor; Dr Purnomo said there is a well- established market for abandoned or conflict land, with land cleared by burning fetching a premium. Using excavators and other heavy equipment to clear the land is costly and time- consuming. "You need to understand that the fire and haze create a lot of money. Quite a lot of money. There is a market for burned land and also it is a way for cheap and quick land preparation for HTI (pulpwood) and oil palm," he told The Straits Times in an interview last week. "Because if you grab the land, the forest - it can be concession land or state land - you can sell it. My research shows that the price is around eight million rupiah (S$800) per hectare. But if you burn that land, the price will increase," he said. "Some people can claim that land and can sell to the network of people. And the buyers can be someone in Jakarta, Bogor, everywhere... It can be 10ha, 20 or even 100ha." Data shows mid-level investors can come from places outside Indonesia, such as Malaysia, he added. According to Dr Purnomo, the price per hectare is US$665 (S$950) after the land is slashed and cut. If the land is burned, the price goes up about US$200 per hectare: a more or less 30 per cent rise. "There is a market for people who mostly prepare for oil palm. You can imagine if they grow the oil palm, after three years, then the price of that land can reach US$3,077 per ha," he said, basing his research on land prices in Sumatra's Riau province. http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/lucrative-illegal-market-for-crop-land-a-key-cause-of-fires-researcher

Singapore clamps down on five firms over haze - Legal action started; govt leaders also speak out against Indonesian officials' comments by Chang Ai-Lien and Audrey Tan, Published Sep 26, 2015, 5:00 am SGT; ...Naming the firms for the first time yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan stressed that the haze was a man-made problem that should not be tolerated. "Ultimately, errant companies must know that there is a price to be paid for damaging our health, environment and economy," he said...yesterday served Singapore-listed firm Asia Pulp and Paper a legal notice to supply information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions. Four Indonesian companies - Rimba Hutani Mas, Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and Wachyuni Mandira - have been told to take measures to extinguish fires on their land, not to start new ones, and submit action plans on how they will prevent future fires.

Under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, those guilty can be fined up to $100,000 a day, capped at $2 million, for causing unhealthy haze.....

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/spore-clamps-down-on-five-firms-over-haze

Indonesia VP Kalla reiterates that Indonesia does not need to apologise to neighbours over haze  Published Sep 25, 2015, 8:02 pm SGT http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/kalla-reiterates-that-indonesia-does-not-need-to-apologise-to-neighbours-over-haze

Malaysia media

7 more delays, 1 cancellation of flights at Kuching airport Published: 28 September 2015 9:27 PM - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/7-more-delays-1-cancellation-of-flights-at-kuching-airport#sthash.LnhQ7Zuv.dpuf

Haze: Hisham falls ill  by t. avineshwaran Updated: Sunday September 27, 2015 MYT 3:30:46 PM  PETALING JAYA: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has fallen ill because of the haze.  “Jerebu masih teruk (Haze is still terrible) - I have already lost my voice and my nose is blocked,” he tweeted Sunday. He also replied to some tweets on the haze situation and urged people to stay indoors. “I'm asthmatic too - keep him indoors,” he advised a user named @keantee whose son has asthma.  Hishammuddin also agreed that the haze situation should be discussed at regional level as it appears to becoming a yearly affair. The air quality here and in areas like Putrajaya, Port Klang, Shah Alam and Batu Muda has worsened as the API readings reached very unhealthy levels. Schools in several states will also be closed on Monday. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/09/27/Haze-Hisham-ill/

Haze forces some schools to shut  Updated: Monday September 28, 2015 MYT 7:29:13 AM http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/09/28/Haze-forces-some-schools-to-shut-Ministry-makes-decision-after-API-worsens-in-Klang-Valley-Pahang-an/

Planters under fire over haze;.... "Oil palm planters who carry out proper peatland development and water management at their estates should be given a pat on the back for preventing the spread of peat fire. Instead, what we see is a stab in the back of planters. Such false allegations are sinful," Daud said. "Do you know that professional planters practising modern agriculture invest a lot of money in heavy machinery to clear the land, compact the peat soil and dig up a maze of trenches? "This is to compress the peat soil and keep it moist so that the oil palms can grow properly and yield to their potential. Incidentally, this process makes the soil less flammable and retards fire from spreading underground," he said.Most of the oil palm estates in Riau are matured and bearing fruits. "So, why would planters want to set fire and destroy their oil palms?" asked Daud, adding the maze of trenches filled with water at peat area, which are transportation routes in the estates is doubling up as fire barriers, too. When asked to comment on satellite pictures showing many hotspots across Sumatera and Kalimantan as indicative of fiery blaze within plantation concessions, Daud replied, "we must take note that in Indonesia, 20 per cent of the land bank is under the plasma scheme, of which smallholders occupy scattered enclaves within the estates."  He noted that one must not discount the possibility that fire-causing haze could have been started by the local communities for shifting cultivation of cash crops in these enclaves.... http://mypalmoil.blogspot.my/2015/09/planters-under-fire-over-haze.html

Social media

27 September 2015 - Singapore has started legal action against companies associated with the Sumatran fires, the cause is peat zone development, the health impacts - more people die from air pollution than Malaria and HIV/Aids

On Malaysia

Education minister: Schools affected by haze to close if visibility below 500 meters Sunday September 27, 201507:02 PM GMT+8 - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/education-minister-schools-affected-by-haze-to-close-if-visibility-below-50#sthash.8ak1udXM.dpuf

 

Malaysian planters in Indonesia not involved in burning, say investors (VIDEO) Sunday September 27, 201506:04 PM GMT+8 - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/malaysian-planters-in-indonesia-not-involved-in-burning-say-investors#sthash.Mf5V7M7o.dpuf

  

Malaysia’s API data not up to par, says PKR rep as haze worsens Published: 27 September 2015 11:23 AM; http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysias-api-data-not-up-to-par-says-pkr-rep-as-haze-worsens#sthash.V63j4wdM.dpuf


Ministry defends API readings, says it abides by international protocols Sunday September 27, 201504:57 PM GMT+8; It stressed that API readings are based on the amount of dust particles measuring smaller than 10 micrometres (PM10) over a 24-hour period — which is then used to calculate the level of risk on public health.... Earlier today, the education ministry ordered the closure of all schools in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur and in the districts of Sri Aman and Kota Samarahan in Sarawak as API readings spiked to unhealthy levels. The haze reading in Shah Alam reached a very unhealthy level with an API of 281, with many parts of the peninsula also registering deteriorating levels. Port Klang also recorded a bad API at 252. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ministry-defends-api-readings-says-it-abides-by-international-protocols#sthash.DjQlCW5l.dpuf


DOE says four areas in Peninsula Malaysia record unhealthy API reading Saturday September 26, 201511:39 AM GMT+8 - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/doe-says-four-areas-in-peninsula-malaysia-record-unhealthy-api-reading#sthash.0y2oeZBz.dpuf

Subang Airport reopens after more than three-hour closure due to haze Saturday September 26, 201510:31 PM GMT+8 - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/subang-airport-reopens-after-more-than-three-hour-closure-due-to-haze#sthash.OfNTHknV.dpuf


From Singapore - on cause of peat smog haze,

**Is S’pore helpless about the haze? Not really September 25, 2015 by Terry Xu in TOC Reports; Are you wondering why companies have gone unpunished despite the yearly forest fires and why Singapore seems to be helpless when it comes to it? Well, one would definitely be puzzled by the above questions given the myths that surround the annual haze faced by Singapore, such as the cause of the haze and Singapore’s inability to take action on foreign land. The root cause of the haze, not trees but peat....Last year, TOC – together with non-governmental organisation, PM Haze – travelled to Riau, Indonesia, to visit the plantations and the government officials to find out the root cause of the smog, and from there, to consider if there could be any viable solutions to the problem.... The first thing that everyone has to understand is that the main culprit of the haze is not the burning of trees or shrubs but peat soil/land. Mere wood and vegetation would not have caused such volumes of smoke over such a long period of time even if it is the whole forest being burned to the ground. The land that Indonesia has leased out to plantation owners are largely peatland, which are swamp full of decomposing organic material which would eventually turn into fossil fuel in another million odd years.... Companies which claim they do not practice slash-and-burn cultivation are telling half-truths because as long as  they drain the peatland of water and leave it unattended, it is just a matter of time and circumstances that the land will catch fire. After the fire have ceased, they can claim ignorance and go ahead with the cultivation. Not to mention that canals are often dug deeper than the allowed depth by the Indonesian government which precipitates the effect. Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace International’s head for the Indonesia Forest’s campaign against the forest fires, said, “Year after year, Indonesia’s forest fires and haze wreak havoc on the region, and the palm oil sector is a main culprit.” He added, “While RSPO members might have no-fire policies, the peat land they have cleared and drained is like a tinderbox – one spark is all it takes.” What can be done is to dam up the canals and allow the peatland to be “wet” again so when someone or a company conducts slash-and-burn, the unattended land would not be burned as well. Of course, in order for that to happen, companies need to be pressured to take action to dam up land that the companies have said that they would not be using, instead of paying lip service of doing so and waiting for the eventuality.... http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/09/is-spore-helpless-about-the-haze-not-really/

**It’s the tiny things in the haze, not its look or smell, that matter by Linette Lai, Friday, Sep 25, 2015; ..... Air pollution researcher Erik Velasco of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology's Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modelling said: "The low visibility and acrid smell associated with the haze... are subjective and cannot be used to measure air quality."Instead, one of the best ways to determine how unhealthy the air is in real time is to look at the one-hour PM2.5 levels published by the National Environment Agency (NEA), say experts..... In a study conducted in 2013 - when the three-hour PSI level hit a record 401 during the haze - environmental engineer Rajasekhar Balasubramanian looked at the health risks for a person who has been exposed to haze for a prolonged period of time.He found that if Singapore were to be exposed for 10 days every year for 70 years to air pollution levels similar to those recorded during the June 20 to June 28 haze period, an average of 18 people in a million could get cancer in their lifetimes.He also collected air samples between Sept 12 and Oct 2 when there was no haze. The risk of developing cancer fell to 12 in a million people for the non-haze period.... To put things in perspective, on a day when PM2.5 levels hit 100mcg per cubic m, a person will take in around 1,100mcg of these pollutants if he stays outdoors throughout the day.For comparison, a smoker will inhale between 10,000mcg and 40,000mcg of PM2.5 pollutants for every cigarette consumed.The average healthy person should not be unduly worried about the levels of haze experienced this year, say experts."We should be objective," said respiratory specialist Yap Wee See of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital."When the haze is at a lower level, slight modifications to your lifestyle to reduce exposure are probably enough," said Dr Yap.If PM2.5 readings rise above 100, for example, it might be a good idea to move that evening run to an indoor gym. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic conditions should also take greater care to avoid the haze. - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/asian-opinions/it%E2%80%99s-tiny-things-haze-not-its-look-or-smell-matter#sthash.0JAEHMiH.dpuf

Sg Gov’t gets tough with errant companies responsible for haze September 26, 2015; Dr Balakrishnan revealed that the National Environment Agency (NEA) has begun legal proceedings against five companies which it believes are among those responsible for the fires in the Indonesian island of Sumatra and Kalimantan....  On Friday, the NEA served legal papers on Singapore-listed firm, Asia Pulp and Paper, which has an office in Singapore, to supply information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions, the Straits Times reported. Four other companies, all Indonesian ones, have also been issued Preventative Measure Notices, and ordered to take measures to extinguish fires on land which they own, and to prevent new fires from being started. “It cannot be tolerated,” Dr Balakrishnan said. “It has caused major impact on the health, society and economy of our region.” http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/09/sg-govt-gets-tough-with-errant-companies-responsible-for-haze/

HAZE – PA to distribute masks, open air-con rooms in RCs and CCs to public September 25, 2015 by Andrew Loh Grassroots volunteers of the People’s Association (PA) will be distributing N95 masks on Friday, 25 September 2015, from 10am to 10pm at all 108 Community Clubs islandwide. These masks will be given to vulnerable and needy Singaporeans and Singapore PRs with blue CHAS Card or Pioneer Generation Card, as well as ComCare recipients above 62 or with longer term medical issues, the PA said on its website. PA Grassroots Volunteers will also organise home visits to residents who are immobile or sick as well as elderly with medical conditions and living alone. The PA said it is also opening its air-conditioned rooms in its Residents’ Committees and Community Clubs to members of the public who may seek respite from the haze which has engulfed Singapore again. The PSI readings reached the “hazardous” level on Thursday. http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/09/haze-pa-to-distribute-masks-open-air-con-rooms-in-rcs-and-ccs-to-public/


On health impacts of air pollution

More people die from air pollution than Malaria and HIV/Aids, new study shows - More than 3 million people die prematurely each year from outdoor pollution and without action deaths will double by 2050 by Damian Carrington Wednesday 16 September 2015 18.00 BST
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/16/more-people-die-from-air-pollution-than-malaria-and-hivaids-new-study-shows

Pollution Killing 9,500 Londoners Revives Mayor’s Heathrow Plea July 15, 2015 — 6:17 PM HKTUpdated on July 15, 2015 — 7:25 PM HKT; ....About 5,900 deaths were the result of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant produced by diesel engines, according to the report released Wednesday by King’s College London for the mayor’s office. The remainder were due to particulate pollution known as PM2.5s....
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-15/london-air-pollution-killed-9-500-in-2010-mayor-s-office-says

China Air Pollution Kills 4,000 People a Day: Researchers  by  Alex Morales  August 14, 2015 — 2:00 AM HKT Updated on August 14, 2015 — 1:09 PM HKT; ....Deaths related to the main pollutant, tiny particles known as PM2.5s that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and asthma, total 1.6 million a year, or 17 percent of China’s mortality level...http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-13/china-air-pollution-kills-4-000-people-a-day-researchers

Air pollution causes low birth weight, Beijing study shows - The reduction in air pollution achieved during the 2008 Beijing Olympics resulted in an increase in birth weight, new research has shown by Karl Mathiesen Tuesday 28 April 2015 19.00 BST;... The reduction in air pollution achieved during the 2008 Beijing Olympics resulted in an increase in birth weight, new research has shown...http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/28/air-pollution-causes-low-birth-weight-beijing-study-shows

Chinese Man Sues His Polluted Hometown for Cost of Fighting Smog  February 25, 2014 — 3:45 PM HKT; The lawsuit reflects growing public concern over air pollution in China and smog’s effects on human health. Smog here has reached an “unbearable stage,” the government’s top climate-change adviser, Li Junfeng, said Feb. 23, and the topic is likely to be addressed when the country’s leaders gather March 5 for the annual two-week meeting of the National People’s Congress. “Li Guixin couldn’t take a walk or run like the past as air quality worsened and he also has to wear a mask now when he goes out,” said Wu, who also lives in Shijiazhuang. “His case is relevant for everyone in our city.” ...http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-25/chinese-man-sues-his-polluted-hometown-for-cost-of-fighting-smog


Diesel-linked air pollution and VW diesel emissions cheating scandal

U.S. EPA Toughens Emissions Oversight After VW Cheating by  Jeff Plungis September 25, 2015 — 8:42 PM HKTUpdated on September 25, 2015 — 11:58 PM HKT
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-25/u-s-epa-said-to-alter-diesel-emissions-tests-due-to-vw-cheating

No Cheating Needed. Europe's Lax Laws Make Diesel Tests a Snap by  Naomi Kresge,  Brian Parkin and Jonathan Stearns  September 23, 2015 — 11:37 PM HKT; Automakers sometimes strip 300 pounds from cars before testing. "This cynical chicanery must end," says an EU lawmaker... The European Union allows manufacturers to optimize results with tactics such as stripping the car of excess weight or removing the air conditioner, according to Tuev Sued, a German company that performs tests for carmakers. Such strategies have contributed to a widening gap between reported results for diesels and the pollution that really comes out of their tailpipes, according to Lucia Caudet, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, the regulatory arm of the EU. “Emissions of diesel vehicles measured on the road may in reality substantially, without any wrongdoing, exceed nitrogen oxides measured” in the lab, Caudet said in an e-mail....Europe’s diesel emission levels are already higher than what’s allowed in the U.S. The cars that are tested are called “golden samples” and differ greatly from the vehicles consumers might buy, said Vincenzo Luca, a spokesman for Tuev Sued, the German testing company. After manufacturers strip out various components, the cars typically weigh 100 kg (220 lb) to 150 kg less than production models. “Every legal possibility to reduce emissions is exploited,” Luca said. “We test within the limits of EU law.”... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-23/no-cheating-needed-europe-s-lax-laws-make-diesel-tests-a-snap

Malaysia labour concerns (update 12b): Malaysia planning for new naturalised labour force from Bangladesh? 1.5 million new migrants - men and women - over 3 years.

Editor's note: Malaysia is chock full of migrant workers - from living in KL, you can see that they seem to play a crucial role in retail, F&B, and domestic services; in addition to their role in key industries such as construction, plantations and E&E. The commoditization of labour is a major feature of the world economy nowadays as global supply-chains help drive the push for lowest cost. This is likely an important topic to keep an eye on as Malaysia contests the allegations.

Outside of the palm oil sector is the human trafficking tragedy of May 2015 (which may inform Malaysia's earlier drop to Tier 3 (along with Thailand and two others), the lowest ranking in US human trafficking report; our contacts who have attended UN briefings on the recent refugee crisis confirm that the key actors have been known for some time but only recently has some action been triggered via Thailand). Given the apparent widespread knowledge of the human trafficking (even among local residents, see 26 May 2016 post), the question is whether the powers-that-be will answer for this. The news report of women raped by guards of the camps is another shocker that is top read news in Malaysia online news.

KL-ites talking about the Vietnam boat people crisis - one contact shared how locals near the Vietnam refugee camps would earn gold pieces for supply of basic things like medicines; his landlord (where he rented a room) of one contact had a small case full of such gold pieces. Also it was well known that youths would join some community organisations that somehow gave them access to some womenfolk in the camp.

The question is this: who are employing all these Rohingya people to generate this illegal trafficking?

Really sad to hear of exploitation of people who are in such a sad situation - then and now.

11 Feb 2016: Malaysia planning for new naturalised labour force from Bangladesh? 1.5 million new migrants - men and women - over 3 years. 

Editor's note: 

Malaysia industry has been agitating for the new foreign worker's levy to be cut and a decision on the revised levy has been delayed. In the meantime, there is report of that the policy (announced earlier) to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers will soon be implemented. Now, the details reveal that both male and female migrants will arrive over the three year period. It is clear that labour rights point toward giving reproductive rights to (female) migrants. News articles suggest that this is a major change in Malaysia government policy to create a large new naturalised labour force - else why bring women migrants? This will inevitably also have medium to long-term political repercussions. Waves of worker migrants have a tendency to bolster the status quo. If a large number are naturalised, it might be imaginable that they could form a new interest group (urban and rural) verging on the size of the "greater Felda" group. Malaysia has seen many waves of migrants including from China, India, Indonesia, Suluk and now also Bangladesh. 

The Bangladeshis may also work in the service, manufacturing and construction sectors - current policy confined them to the plantation sector. The maximum expatriation cost for each worker would be RM1,985 - to be borne by the employers, who would also pay for workers' security deposits, levies, visa fees, health and compensation insurance, "(without) interference from middlemen." News reports state 600,000 Bangladeshis working in Malaysia. Sounds like 2016-2020 potential arrival of 1. 5 million – men and women, to make it about 2.1 million population. But presumably dependent on economic conditions. With questions also arising on implications for Malaysia's "middle-income trap" and its "premature de-industrialisation" - issues pointed out by some economists.

Comments and questions from readers: 

• Does industry really need all these people? 
• With the equalisation of Peninsular Malaysia and Jakarta minimum wage; are Indonesians no longer coming and/or returning (but Indonesia has underemployment problem too)? 
• Why can't industry pay more for stable local labour? 
• Cheap labour cost may be later offset by other cost rises e.g. future GST increase, higher tax on fuels and so forth? 
• Reminds me of the movie "Banglasia." 
• Image forwarded from social media:

caption: "Bangla workers are more loyal and trustworthy" - Deputy PM Zahid Hamidi

Source: Photo of The Star sent by a reader

MoU on 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers to be signed within a month, say reports 9 February 2016 http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mou-on-1.5-million-bangladeshi-workers-to-be-signed-within-a-month-say-repo#sthash.SmZLxqoT.dpuf

Bangladesh agrees to send 1.5m workers to Msia BY ISKANDAR TAJUDDIN - 9 FEBRUARY 2016 http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/02/126509/bangladesh-agrees-send-15m-workers-msia

Earlier news

Zahid: Firm yet to secure 1.5m Bangladeshi worker deal BY MELISSA CHI October 21, 2015;...The project previously sparked controversy after reports claimed that the contract was to be awarded to Ahmad Zahid’s brother, businessman Datuk Abdul Hakim. The Home Ministry denied a report claiming that Ahmad Zahid had ordered it to award a management system contract for Bangladeshi workers to his brother’s company, saying the matter is still being discussed.... http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/zahid-firm-yet-to-secure-1.5m-bangladeshi-worker-deal#sthash.sTprDZP6.dpuf

1.5 million Bangladeshi workers to arrive in 3 years, says home minister 25 June 2015 http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/1.5-million-bangladeshi-workers-to-arrive-in-3-years-says-home-minister#sthash.Ep5paOJf.dpuf

1 Feb 2016: Malaysia ups foreign worker's levy to rake in extra RM2.5 billion; RSPO sustainable palm oil body sanctions 3 auditors, on issues including those related to migrant worker standards 

Editor's note: 

• A lot of concern about labour cost in Malaysia on minimum wage and also migrant labour fees. However, note from 14 Jan 2016: Just read in a prominent KL broker report...... Indonesia has announced the new levels of minimum wage for 2016F. Interestingly, the minimum wage in Jakarta of RM978/month is close to the proposed minimum wage of RM1,000/month for Peninsular Malaysia in 2016F. This is mainly due to the appreciation of the Rupiah against the RM...
• For plantations, the review by analysts is: "In Budget 2016, Malaysia revealed plans to to raise the minimum wage by RM100-120 per month or 11-15% to RM920-RM1,000 per month, effective 1 July 2016. This is negative for pure planters, as it could raise costs of production by 3-5% and lower its earnings by up to 3-5% per annum assuming 50% of estates costs are labour and 50% of its workers earn minimum wage." (26 Oct 2015)
• Coincidentally, social media highlight of a story from 2014 - Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry speaker comment on various things including archaic labour laws in Malaysia.

Zahid: New foreign workers' levy rate system to bring in RM2.5bil by The Star Online -  31 January 2016; SIBU: The Government's decision to restructure the levy rate system for foreign workers is expected to bring in an extra income of RM2.5bil to the country, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi...The Deputy Prime Minister said the new rate, which would come into effect from Monday, applied to two categories... Previously, he said foreign workers were charged different rates based on the sectors where they worked such as manufacturing, construction, service, plantation and agriculture.... "Now there are only two categories. The first is for those in the manufacturing, construction and service sector. Here, each worker will be charged the new rate of RM2,500. "For those in plantation and agriculture, which come under the second category, the rate is RM1,500 per worker," Ahmad Zahid said. He said domestic workers were, however, exempted...  According to statistics, he said there were now some 2.135 million registered foreign workers in the country.... He said the Government needed to come up with the new rates as foreign workers were also enjoying various benefits such as subsidised prices for food and other necessities which were only meant for Malaysians. "They are enjoying our good infrastructures too, but we are also acknowledging the vital roles they play in our nation-building and to our economy," Ahmad Zahid added. - Bernama http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/01/31/zahid-new-foreign-workers-levy-rate-system-to-bring-in-rm2_5bil/


Malaysia 19 years behind South Korea, complacency, graft among culprits By LEE SHI-IAN 17 October 2014; Malaysia are 19 years behind South Korea in terms of productivity, the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry said today, naming graft, leakages, complacency and archaic labour laws as road blocks. Its executive director Stewart Forbes said Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per worker productivity last year was equivalent to South Korea's - but in 1995.... "Putrajaya also needs to focus on amending labour laws in Malaysia as they are quite archaic and hark back to post-independence days. "A balance needs to be struck in Malaysia's labour laws to bring it in line with the 21st century. Changes need to be made to bring it up to date," he said - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-19-years-behind-south-korea-complacency-graft-among-culprits#sthash.16rxNN5t.dpuf

Editor's note: Migrant labour standards are in the spotlight. Felda was reviewed after the WSJ article allegations - labour risk issues identified were uncertainties of labour contractors and independent smallholder use of migrant labour; read here: ASI - RSPO - Compliance/Investigation - PT. Mutuagung Lestari & CU at FELDA - Malaysia 2015 http://www.accreditation-services.com/resources/document-library/download-info/asi-rspo-complianceinvestigation-pt-mutuagung-lestari-cu-at-felda-malaysia-2015. Then, problems for 3 auditors of RSPO plantations therafter - the attribution clear on Mutuagung and Control Union on the migrant labour issue, but not at all clear on SGS removal. This was a massive crackdown on auditing standards at the RSPO. Read these:

• ASI suspends two RSPO CABs after compliance investigation Posted on 11 January 2016; As a follow up on the compliance investigations conducted in September 2015, ASI has suspended two RSPO Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) as of 31 December 2015 : Control Union (Malaysia) SDN. BHD. and PT Mutuagung Lestari. These were the first compliance assessments for the RSPO accreditation program, conducted at a selection of RSPO certified and applicant estates, aimed to address key questions concerning health and safety management and labor practices. The assessments included short-notice on-site visits and review of documents and records, as well as interviews with foreign and domestic workers, company personnel, smallholders and subcontractors. http://www.accreditation-services.com/archives/asi-suspends-two-rspo-cabs-after-compliance-investigation
• RSPO announcement on the accreditation withdrawal of SGS, 19 Jan 2016 http://www.rspo.org/news-and-events/announcements/rspo-and-asi-guidance-for-certification-bodies-on-the-transfer-of-rspo-certificates-in-the-case-of-the-accreditation-withdrawal-of-sgs 
• EIA - New Report Highlights RSPO Auditing Practices, Builds on Peru-Malaysia Case Study 25 Nov 2015, The Environmental Investigation Agency’s UK office last week provided evidence of systematic problems in actions of auditors charged with certifying oil palm growers under the voluntary Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification scheme. In a new report called, Who Watches the Watchmen? Auditors and the breakdown of oversight in the RSPO, campaigners detail the effective lack of oversight within the international scheme to promote and certify “sustainable” palm oil suppliers, in the midst of annual meetings of the group in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. http://eia-global.org/blog/new-report-highlights-rspo-auditing-practices-builds-on-peru-malaysia-case

Editor's note: Just how many legal and illegal migrant workers in Malaysia? 6.7 million? This was indicated as 2.2 million legal and 4.5 million illegal by Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem, Nov 2014. This foreign worker figure represents a massive rise in the number of foreign workers. 


Migrant Workers: Malaysia's 'Invisible' Workforce Tuesday, 10 February 2015 by Teh Wei Soon; According to UN statistics from 2014, there are around 232 million international immigrants in the world, a number which is increasing every year. Call them migrant worker, guest worker, foreign labour or for the professional working class, the term ‘expatriate’ is still used, the term “migrant worker” has various connotations in different parts of the world. According to the United Nations, the definition is broad and it may include any persons working outside of their country of birth....  In Malaysia, migrant workers come from more than 12 countries in Asia with the majority coming from Indonesia, according to Fair Labour Association, an international non-profit collaboration promoting international labour laws.  Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines also supply a large number of the migrant workers population in Malaysia.... Migrant Workers : The Hidden Economic Catalyst. In an interview with Malaysian Digest, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan (pic) said there are currently 2.8 to 2.9 million migrant workers in Malaysia. Foreign labour, especially the blue-collar workers, contributes quite significantly to the national economy as they contribute about 10%-11% to national economy....Although the Government has promised to cut down the influx of migrant workers, but it is undeniable that migrant workers are often accused as a wage depressant in Malaysia as their number has rocketed from 1,470,000 in 2004  o 2,100,000 in 2009.... http://www.malaysiandigest.com/features/541277-migrant-workers-malaysia-s-invisible-workforce.html

The Number Of Foreign Workers In Malaysia Is Greater Than The Population of These Nations by Mei Mei Chu — 18 Mar 2015; There are over 2,070,000 million foreign workers employed legally in Malaysia. Let us put that into perspective for you.... In contrast, Department of Statistics’ latest published figures on population shows ethnic Indian population as at end of Sep 30, 2014 is 1.98 million....http://says.com/my/news/the-number-of-foreign-workers-in-malaysia-is-greater-than-the-population-of-these-nations

Illegal Immigrants: Are They A Threat To Our Health? 20 November 2014; Just this month, Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem claimed that there are 4.5 million illegal immigrants out of the total 6.7 million foreign workers in Malaysia. Aside to the possible safety threats, this seems to be causing a lot of discomfort amongst Malaysians as illegal immigrants appear to be a contributing factor to the resurgence of certain infectious diseases in our country, previously thought to have been under control..... http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/282-main-tile/528742-illegal-immigrants-are-they-a-threat-to-our-health.html 



Thanks to a reader for pointing this one out:

Malaysian politician plans to turn 'beautiful' death camp where human traffickers left more than 100 people to die in bamboo cages into a tourist attraction By HANNAH PARRY FOR MAILONLINE 1 June 2015; Jungle camps used by human traffickers in Malaysia contain 139 graves. Desperate migrants held in horror camps for months by criminal gangs

Malaysian authorities say some human remains show signs of torture. Politician suggested plans to turn 'beautiful' camp into a tourist attraction. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105628/Malaysian-politician-plans-turn-beautiful-death-camp-human-traffickers-left-100-people-die-bamboo-cages-tourist-attraction.html#ixzz3ysWt31yf 

18 December 2015: Cops yet to arrest anyone linked to mass graves in Perlis, Top Thai policeman seeks political asylum in Australia - fears for his life  

Cops yet to arrest anyone linked to mass graves in Perlis Published: 18 December 2015... Almost seven months after mass graves believed to be of human trafficking victims were discovered at Wang Kelian in Perlis, Malaysian police have yet to arrest anyone.  SAC Goh Kok Liang, head of the team investigating the case, said last month that six foreign suspects had been identified, but they were still at large today. “No development, we are still tracking them down,” he said when contacted in Kuala Lumpur.  He admitted that police did not know whether the six, believed to be Thais and Myanmar, were still in the country. Police announced in May the discovery of graves with 106 skeletal remains believed to be of Rohingyas, and 28 human trafficking camps. The 139 graves, some of them empty, sat atop a hill hundreds of metres above sea level. Thai police charged 88 people, including a general, with human trafficking last month. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/cops-yet-to-arrest-anyone-linked-to-mass-graves-in-perlis#sthash.Eq1tTbeN.dpuf

Top Thai policeman seeks political asylum in Australia, fears for his life By Mark Davis 10 Dec 2015; A senior Thai policeman who headed an investigation into human trafficking for the country's military government has fled Thailand in fear of his life and is now requesting political asylum in Australia. Police Major General Paween Pongsirin had been investigating the trafficking of Muslim Rohingya migrants after the discovery of mass graves and 26 corpses in southern Thailand in early May. The bodies are believed to be those of Rohingya refugees and were victims of the traffickers. Major General Paween claims his investigation was stopped by highly influential people within the government, the military and the police. He said high-ranking government officials repeatedly obstructed the investigation. "A lot of government officials should be facing justice," Major General Paween told 7.30....At the beginning of November, Major General Paween was told he was being transferred to the south of Thailand, where many of the suspects he is pursuing live and have influence. But he formally resigned before being transferred, citing serious concerns for his security. He now fears for his life....http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-10/top-thai-cop-seeks-political-asylum-in-australia-fears-for-life/7018018

29 September 2015: Bangkok bombings retaliation against Thai gov't clampdown on human trafficking,  US embassy issues terrorism warning for Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur, US lawmakers call for probe into Malaysia’s ‘favourable’ human-trafficking ranking

US lawmakers call for probe into Malaysia’s ‘favourable’ human-trafficking ranking Published: 29 September 2015 7:34 AM - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/us-lawmakers-call-for-internal-probe-of-malaysias-human-trafficking-ranking#sthash.iMml3FP6.dpuf

Editor: May also be related to alert on Jalan Alor in KL, issued by US authorities a few days ago.

Bangkok bombings retaliation against Thai gov't clampdown on human trafficking: spokesman  by English.news.cn |  2015-09-28 20:12:46 | Editor: huaxia; BANGKOK, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The two bombing attacks in Bangkok last month were retaliation against Thai government's suppression of human trafficking gangs, the authorities said Monday.Any other possibilities are not yet ruled out, though there is no validity in other motives, Winthai Suwaree, spokesman of the National Council for Peace and Order, told a televised press briefing. The authorities have so far apprehended Bilal Mohammed, alias Adem Karadak, and Mieraili Yusufu, two of the 17 suspects now facing arrest warrants, Winthai said, adding they have proven to be involved in the blasts at Erawan Shrine and the Sathorn Pier on Aug. 17 and 18. The Aug. 17 bombing killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others, while the subsequent one caused no casualties....Political motives cannot yet be ruled out, outgoing national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang told the press conference. Mohammed and Yusufu, whose nationalities have yet to be confirmed, have confessed their crimes and were taken to reenact the crime at the sites on Saturday, according to Winthai. The reenactment of the incidents in relevant areas has proven to be consistent with the evidence and investigation result, he said.... http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-09/28/c_134668528.htm

US embassy issues terrorism warning for Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur Published: 25 September 2015 7:18 AM - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/us-embassy-issues-terrorism-warning-for-street-in-kuala-lumpur#sthash.tSYWMdMT.dpuf

23 August 2015: Several more graves found at Perlis-Thai border, FGV denies raising wages, NGOs call on RSPO open investigation of WSJ findings on FGV, Malaysia Home Minister's brother, former Sec-Gen and others in collaboration with  Bangladesh Association of International Recruitment Agencies propose system for 1.5 million migrants workers

 Several more graves found at Perlis-Thai border Posted on 23 August 2015 - 10:38am;.. Meanwhile in ALOR SETAR, a source from the national security forces confirmed that the graves were located near the ones found by the police in May.  "They are old graves, but recently discovered by the country's security forces. They are located not far from the graves that we found last May," he told Bernama, here tonight. Another source said the new graves were located higher than the graves discovered in May at Bukit Wang Burma. ... http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1527686

Wages of plantation workers not raised, says Felda Published: 17 August 2015 10:54 PM; "We have not raised the wages of our plantation workers, including palm oil mill employees, and other general workers, by 8 to 10% effective April 1, 2015, as suggested in the report. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/wages-of-plantation-workers-not-raised-says-felda#sthash.FnWeeLLU.dpuf

Modern slavery found in RSPO member Felda Global Ventures’ oil palm plantations  By Chris Lang 5 August 2015; WSJ Journalist Syed Zain Al-Mahmood spoke to Mohammad Rubel, a 22-year-old, who was transported from Bangladesh by human smugglers in December 2014. Since then he has been working seven days a week without receiving any pay: ....To get here, Mr. Rubel said, he endured three weeks in a crowded boat with inadequate food and water, followed by more weeks confined in a jungle camp while guards extorted a ransom from his parents back home. He said he saw dozens of fellow illegal migrants die from exhaustion, disease or beatings. “If I had known what was waiting, I would never have left home,” Mr. Rubel said. One of Rubel’s jobs is spraying pesticides, including paraquat, which is banned in the EU, because of its toxicity. Rubel was given protective clothing, but no training in using pesticides. He told the Wall Street Journal that spraying paraquat makes his head spin. Felda Global Ventures runs more than 700,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Of these, more than 300,000 hectares are certified under the RSPO. Almost 85% of the workers on Felda Global Ventures’ plantations are foreigners. It isn’t clear whether Rubel works on a RSPO certified plantation. But under RSPO rules, certified companies cannot have major non-compliances with RSPO’s principles and criteria anywhere in their operations, including on non-certified plantations. It’s not controversial to note that slavery qualifies as a major non-compliance with RSPO rules. A coalition of NGOs produced a statement calling on the RSPO, the Malaysian government, and international buyers to conduct an open investigation into the Wall Street Journal’s findings.  http://www.redd-monitor.org/2015/08/05/modern-slavery-found-in-rspo-member-felda-global-ventures-oil-palm-plantations/


Outrage at claims of migrants enslaved on Malaysian palm plantations - Workers from as far as Bangladesh tell of abuses on Felda's estates. Philip Jacobson reports - Mongabay.com Monday 3 August 2015 ; The International Organization for Migration estimates that 25,000 Southeast Asian migrants, mainly Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis, took to the seas in the first three months of the year. The Journal article features the account of a young Bangladeshi, Mohammad Rubel, who said a human smuggler lured him abroad with promises of well-paying plantation work, and then subjected him to beatings and abuse during a horrific sea voyage to southern Thailand, where he was held for ransom in a jungle camp until relatives could buy his freedom. After that, Rubel’s captors marched him into Malaysia and turned him over to different operatives who took him to the town of Jempol, where a contractor supplying Felda with labor gave him a job...In a statement issued Monday in response to the investigation, Felda reiterated company policies obliging it to do right by its employees and invited the Journal to “share details of these individuals and locations in order for us to investigate these isolated incidents.” “We also question why [the Journal] is targeting [Felda] in its report when most plantation companies employs[sic] foreign workers,” Felda added....Malaysian palm oil is on the US State Department’s “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor,” under both categories. Indonesian palm oil is only included under the child labor category, but a 2013 investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek revealed “widespread abuses of basic human rights” in “a tightly controlled system of forced labor” on 12 plantations in Indonesia....A variety of reports on labor rights violations in the sector have been released in recent years, including one in 2014 by Finnwatch, a Finnish civil society organization focusing on corporate responsibility, which found serious abuses in Malaysian palm-oil giant...http://www.eco-business.com/news/outrage-at-claims-of-migrants-enslaved-on-malaysian-palm-plantations/


Zahid's kin eyes system for 1.5m Bangladeshis 7:31AM Aug 11, 2015; By Aidila Razak  A firm owned by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s brother is in talks with Dhaka and Putrajaya to provide a management system for the 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers Malaysia intends to allow in through a new business-to-business system. Real Time Networking Sdn Bhd, in which Zahid’s brother Abdul Hakim Hamidi is executive chairperson, aims to provide an online system where, for a fee, workers can be registered and monitored from Bangladesh and Malaysia.  Zahid is also home minister, and the approval of foreign workers into Malaysia comes under his ministry’s purview. Real Time’s online system - dubbed Workforce Management & Networking System (Workman) - is similar to that provided by Bestinet, a firm owned by former home minister Azmi Khalid. Bestinet’s agreement with the government was suspended earlier this year after outcry by recruitment agents in sending countries over its high service fees.... http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/308101


Malaysia DPM's brother owns the company Star Report 12:00 AM, August 12, 2015 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:33 AM, August 12, 2015;   A Malaysian firm owned by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's brother is in talks with Dhaka and Putrajaya to provide a management system for the 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers Malaysia wants to recruit through private sector, reported Malaysian news portal, Malaysiakini, yesterday. Real Time Networking Sdn Bhd, in which Zahid's brother Abdul Hakim; Star Report Hamidi is executive chairperson, aims to provide an online system where, for a fee, workers can be registered and monitored from Bangladesh and Malaysia. Zahid is also home minister, and the approval of foreign workers into Malaysia comes under his ministry's purview. Real Time's online system - dubbed Workforce Management & Networking System (Workman) - is similar to that provided by Bestinet, a firm owned by former home minister Azmi Khalid. Bestinet's agreement with the government was suspended earlier this year after outcry by recruitment agents in sending countries over its high service fees. When contacted, Hakim confirmed that Real Time was eyeing the deal but stressed that it was not a government contract. Rather, it is in collaboration with the Bangladesh Association of International Recruitment Agencies (Baira).
“We have the model of a system where we get a payment for a package [service] and we can send people [from Bangladesh] for 60,000 Bangladeshi taka (RM3,000), including the air ticket.
“This is not a government contract. Yes, their government [Bangladesh] need to approve because it involves citizens but they are only monitoring,” Hakim said. If approved, agencies such as the Immigration Department and Manpower Department will be linked to Real Time's system and all recruitment agents must go through Real Time to send workers to Malaysia. He, however, refuted any claim of nepotism, arguing that he was experienced in the field and that in a democratic country he could do anything, other than be a drug pusher. Documents show that Real Time was incorporated in March this year....Hakim is listed as executive chairperson in the Real Time proposal and other correspondence, but he is not registered as an office-bearer with the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Instead, his son Mohd Akmal, 25, is a director, along with former Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap, and one Salihah Kasim, 25. Salihah shares the same address as Abu Hanif Abul Kashem, another director of both Real Time and Warisan Juara Padu, a Bangladeshi national and Malaysian permanent resident. Abu Hanif is also listed by Baira as an “overseas representative of Baira”, in a letter to Zahid dated June 24. According to Hakim, there are at least two other firms vying for the deal, but the Bangladeshi government is keen on the Real Time system.....Baira has also endorsed the system in the June 24 letter signed by its president Abul Basher to Malaysian home minister. However, Baira Vice President Ali Haider Chowdhury denied that Baira had any stake in Real Time.
 http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/malaysia-dpms-brother-owns-the-company-125413


Disqualify application by Zahid’s brother to recruit foreign workers, says DAP Published: 12 August 2015 9:41 AM - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/disqualify-application-by-zahids-brother-to-recruit-foreign-workers-says-da#sthash.XEtrfm6I.dpuf

28 July 2015: The Pope talks human trafficking as well as climate

Climate, trafficking and the pope: The ecology of planetary woes | The Economist - http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/07/climate-trafficking-and-pope?fsrc=nlw|newe|27-07-2015|

Those used for a long time to quasi bonded labour systems may be facing less and less acceptance and need to start changing?

27 July 2015: WSJ alleges worker abuse at Malaysia palm oil plantations - Felda/FGV worker link to controversial jungle transit camps? Felda will investigate. Thailand stays at bottom rung of US human trafficking but Malaysia gets upgraded.

Note: Many analysts have been wondering where the Rohingya worker demand was from in Peninsula.


WSJ claims link of Felda oil palm to Rohingya camp system (recall the horror death camp finds in May 2015).

Felda Global press statement.....In the meantime, we request Wall Street Journal share details of these individuals and locations in order for us to investigate these isolated incidents. We welcome the evidence from Wall Street Journal which will allow us to take the necessary steps to eliminate mistreatment or exploitation of workers on our plantations.....http://www.feldaglobal.com/media-statement-wsj.html

Palm-Oil Migrant Workers Tell of Abuses on Malaysian Plantations - Global palm-oil industry contributes to human trafficking, rights advocates say By Syed Zain Al-Mahmood  July 26, 2015 1:55 p.m. ET JEMPOL, Malaysia—On a sun-scorched hillside, bulldozers clear land to plant more of the trees that yield palm oil, which is used in everything from Oreos to Pop-Tarts to Old Spice deodorant. Demand for palm oil has surged in recent years, making it the most-consumed vegetable oil in the world. Nearby, an army of migrant workers toils in the heat, using long poles with attached sickles to saw off fruit bunches high in the trees, then... http://www.wsj.com/articles/palm-oil-migrant-workers-tell-of-abuses-on-malaysian-plantations-1437933321?mod=WSJ_article_EditorsPicks_2

Alleged Worker Abuse at Malaysian Palm-Oil Plantations    7/26/2015 1:27PM     The palm-oil plantations of Malaysia have become magnets for refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Many have complained of onerous working conditions and few legal protections.... The smugglers kept us for 21 days on a boat and then 27 days in a jungle camp in Thailand... After making me work for more than a month, the contractor didn't pay me. That happened over and over. Because I'm an illegal, there was nothing I could do... labour contractors.... Felda will investigate... 

http://www.wsj.com/video/alleged-worker-abuse-at-malaysian-palm-oil-plantations/EAEB9DB2-E4BC-4F29-BE7E-514ADFF76A48.html

Felda plantations using forced labour, says WSJ Published: 27 July 2015 10:30 AM Today a WSJ report says illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya working in oil palm plantations are denied wages. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, July 27, 2015.Malaysia’s human-trafficking record is once again under scrutiny with claims that the palm oil industry is one of the worst offenders in the use of forced labour in plantations. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports today of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya employed in plantations were denied wages and suffered other forms of abuse. A plantation controlled by Felda Global Ventures, the world’s largest plantation operator, is cited as one of the employers of forced labour in the WSJ article. .... WSJ reports Felda denying that its workers, nearly 85% of them foreigners, have had their wages and passports withheld. Most of the foreign workers at Felda plantations are hired through third parties. The palm oil industry is worth about US$30 billion (RM115 billion) globally and Malaysia exports about US$12 billion of the world’s most consumed vegetable oil.... http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/felda-plantations-using-forced-labour-says-wsj#sthash.mr6pW22u.dpuf

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/felda-plantations-using-forced-labour-says-wsj

U.S. report highlights suspected Thai official role in human trafficking By Amy Sawitta Lefevre  Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:15am EDT Related:  World,  Thailand  The U.S. government's decision to keep Thailand on its list of worst human-trafficking centers for an unprecedented two straight years highlights the suspected role of Thai officials in the trade despite government efforts to stop it.
The State Department's annual report on human-trafficking, published on Monday, comes days after Thailand indicted 72 people, including fifteen state officials, over suspected links to human trafficking.Their arrests came as a result of what Thai police called their biggest-ever investigation into human trafficking. But the crackdown in May and June came too late to be considered for the U.S. report, which covers Thai government efforts to eliminate trafficking for the year through to March. The U.S. decision is likely to anger authorities in Bangkok after the May-June Thai crackdown led human smugglers to abandon jungle camps and interrupted the flow of migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar through Thailand.....The most senior official to face human trafficking charges is Manus Kongpan, a three-star Thai army general who surrendered to police on June 2. He denies all charges, which include human trafficking, holding people for ransom and hiding corpses.
Manus previously headed an operation to intercept migrants in the Andaman Sea for the Internal Security Operations Command, Thailand's powerful, military-run equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.Police General Aek Angsanont, deputy national police chief and the person in charge of the recent crackdown on the human trafficking syndicates in Thailand, said on Sunday that going after officials would be tough......The decision to keep Thailand on Tier 3 makes it the first time Thailand has languished on the lowest tier for two consecutive years since the report began in 2001.A Reuters investigation this month raised questions about the long-term effectiveness of Thailand's crackdown on the syndicates.Police spearheading the campaign told Reuters how they encountered official indifference about the evidence they had gathered on trafficking networks - even after the State Department downgraded Thailand in 2014 and the military government vowed to "prevent and suppress human trafficking". And while 72 people have been arrested in the recent crackdown, experts warn the region's trafficking infrastructure is largely intact and influential figures remain at large..... http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/27/us-thailand-trafficking-idUSKCN0Q11JZ20150727


US human trafficking report under fire as Cuba and Malaysia are upgraded by Annie Kelly, Monday 27 July 2015 15.24 BST; The United States is facing criticism after it removed Cuba and Malaysia from the US State Department’s list of the countries categorically failing to respond to widespread human trafficking. Both countries have been upgraded from tier 3 in the 2015 Trafficking in Persons report, the worst ranking given by State Department’s annual overview of the actions taken by countries across the world to tackle modern slavery and trafficking. ...Anti-trafficking groups have expressed concern at the “transparent” political motivations of this year’s rankings, which they claim call the integrity and impartiality of the report into question. “We are very surprised by this year’s report, which seems to be making blatantly political decisions that we consider will have a really detrimental impact on both the integrity of the report and progress in the global fight to end modern slavery,” says Melysa Sperber, director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (Atest)..... In an interview following the leaking of the proposed upgrade last week, Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he saw the move as politically motivated.
“You have to earn your way up the ladder, not just have political expediency be the reason that you get moved from tier 3,” he said.  ....Malaysia was also given an upgrade to the tier 2 watch list after a year on tier 3. It comes as President Obama works to smooth the way for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a huge US-led free trade deal with Malaysia and 11 other countries across south-east Asia. Malaysia’s upgrade removes a potential barrier to getting the trade deal finalised, as countries on tier 3 are theoretically barred from fast-tracked trade deals. Over the past year Malaysia has been accused of widespread forced labour in its electronics industry, an industry used by major global electronics brands such as Samsung, Sony and Apple. It has also faced allegations of forced labour and trafficking in its palm oil industry.  The upgrade also follows international outcry over the discovery of 139 graves in jungle trafficking camps near the border with Thailand, used to hold thousands of stateless Rohingya migrants to ransom. The US State Department said that the discovery of the camps happened after the cut-off for evidence-gathering for the TiP report.  “We are disappointed in the extreme,” says Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International.....http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jul/27/us-human-trafficking-in-persons-report-under-fire-cuba-malaysia-upgraded

 

1 July 2015: Nine foreigners linked with human trafficking syndicate held

Nine foreigners linked with human trafficking syndicate held Last updated on 30 June 2015 - 06:38pm  by Charles Ramendran BERNAMA KUALA LUMPUR: Seven Myanmar nationals and two Bangladeshis were held in Kedah on Monday for their alleged involvement in smuggling migrants in an ongoing operation against human trafficking. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar (pix) said today the foreigners were detained for investigations as they are believed to be part of human trafficking syndicates operating in Kedah. He said the latest arrests bring the total number of those held to 19 since the discovery of human trafficking camps in Perlis and the influx of 1,019 foreigners in Langkawi in May. Khalid said in May, eight Bangladeshis, a Myanmar and a Malaysian were detained over the landing of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in Langkawi. He added that the detained Malaysian man whose boat was used to ferry the migrants was charged in court on June 20 under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM). All those detained are being probed under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, (SOSMA).... http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1475745

2 June 2015: US TPP / Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement and Malaysia labour wranglings...

Wong Chen  1 hr · ....Today, I will like do a short report on the issue of the TPPA and the current legal wranglings in the US Senate and House of Representative......In 2014, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) downgraded Malaysia to a Tier 3 status. This is the lowest possible standard which essentially means that the Malaysian government is not doing anything to combat modern slavery, has no basic anti-human trafficking standards and inadequate victim assistance program. How serious is this classification? It is very serious, America can, if t wants to, imposes sanctions on a Tier-3 nation.......This is a major problem to TPPA, because America cannot "morally" negotiate a trade pact with a Tier-3 nation.......So the Obama and the Najib administrations probably got together and worked out a plan to improve Malaysia's standing on the matter. The big showcase was the debated Anti human trafficking bill in Parliament, just 2 weeks ago. This initiative is suppose to enable the US to "brush-over' the issue and demonstrate that Najib is actually serious about the human trafficking problem, hence keep Malaysia in the TPPA negotiating table....... But then the Rohingya boat people story broke at the same time. To make things worse, Najib failed to act swiftly and decisively despite the eyes of the world on him. Then things got much worse as news of the 139 graves in Perlis broke....... In the meantime, the US again scrambled to help keep Malaysia on the TPPA table where it wanted to produce a watered down clause on slavery. However last Friday, that watered down provision was NOT included in the bill for fast-track....... Today, Senator Menendez who worked on the watered down bill (that did not pass) had a big change of heart and said: “With those images fresh in our minds, with new revelations of the scope of the trafficking problem in Malaysia and other countries coming every day, now is the time for our colleagues in the House to add their voice to a clear statement of bipartisan American values: no fast track for human traffickers,”....... So there you have it. Malaysia now faces the prospect of being ingloriously booted out of the TPPA negotiations on slavery grounds....... The ball is now back to the US House of Representatives where they may yet try to rescue Najib's TPPA dreams. Alternatively, the Obama government may magically taichi Malaysia back into Tier-2 status....... The irony is not lost that Obama, representing the great hope of the Black community in America, of which the large majority are descendants of slaves, is still backing his golf buddy on a slavery issue....... https://www.facebook.com/wongchenpkr?fref=nf

 

2 June 2015: US State Dept rep Richards visited detention camps and "satisfied with the conditions"; most read in Malaysia newspapers - Rohingya women raped at transit camps

Rohingya women raped at transit camps Updated: Tuesday June 2, 2015 MYT 12:02:01 AM

ALOR SETAR: Female Rohingya migrants detained at a human trafficking transit camp in Padang Besar, Thailand, were treated like sex slaves.    Nur Khaidha Abdul Shukur, 24, who was held for eight days with her baby at the camp, said the women were also gang-raped by camp guards. 

She said: "Every night, two or three young and pretty Rohingya women were taken out from the detention pens by the guards to a clandestine place.     "Two young women at the camp became pregnant after the gang rape," she said to Bernama through an interpreter here.   http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/01/Wang-Kelian-women-migrants/

Rohingya crisis won’t affect Malaysia’s 2015 human trafficking report, says US BY RAM ANAND Published: 1 June 2015 3:44 PM Thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar were stranded at sea after being abandoned by human traffickers. – Reuters pic, June 1, 2015.Malaysia's handling of the Rohingya refugee crisis will not influence its ranking in the 2015 Trafficking in Person (TIP) report by the US State Department, US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Migration and Refugees Anne C. Richard said today. "The US is currently reviewing Malaysia's efforts in its 2015 report," she said during a press conference in Putrajaya today. "However, the 2015 report covers until March 2015, which mean Malaysia's handling of this crisis will only be reflected in the 2016 report," she said, refusing to comment further. Thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar were recently stranded at sea after being abandoned by human traffickers, with Malaysia sending some boats back to sea after refusing to take in the refugees. Malaysia also recently discovered mass graves and human trafficking camps in Perlis, near the Malaysia-Thailand border. The country ranked a lowly Tier 3 in the 2014 TIP report, making it one of the countries with the worst human trafficking records. She also said that Malaysia should work closely with the United Nations refugee arm UNHCR to solve the current crisis and handle the refugees who have come to Malaysia. "UNHCR has the expertise and that kind of expertise is needed here," she said. Richard revealed that she had visited the detention centre where refugees were being held in Kedah and said she was satisfied with the conditions they are being kept in. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/rohingya-crisis-wont-affect-malaysias-2015-human-trafficking-report-says-us

28 May 2015: Initial investigations find Malaysian enforcement officers had collaborated with traffickers, Bar Council calls for Royal Commission of Inquiry, Bangladesh Daily Star - at least 250,000 Bangladeshis have been held in the jungles of Thailand for ransom over the past eight years

Bar Council demands RCI on migrant mass graves Thursday May 28, 2015 05:43 PM GMT+8 KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — The Bar Council called today for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the mass graves and people-smuggling camps in Perlis, saying that the government cannot disclaim responsibility.

Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru said it was “perplexing” that the Malaysian authorities had failed to detect the camps that were reported to have been there for five years, adding the RCI must immediately investigate claims of complicity by enforcement agencies.

“It is inconceivable that an extremely sensitive area such as our international border with Thailand could have been left so unpatrolled and unmonitored, as to permit these ‘death camps’ to have been set up,” Steven said in a statement.

“Moreover, the circumstances in which our law enforcement agencies in charge of border protection were unable to detect the existence of these “death camps” have to be investigated,” he added.

Malaysian authorities are currently investigating the possibility that some among them are in cahoots with the human traffickers responsible for the death camps.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Tuesday initial investigations found that Malaysian enforcement officers had collaborated with traffickers with international links spanning Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/bar-council-demands-rci-on-migrant-mass-graves#sthash.qv4CyUG4.dpuf

After ministry denial, mass graves with hundreds of dead immigrants found in Perlis Sunday May 24, 2015 09:47 AM GMT+8 Bangladesh-based newspaper The Daily Star reported earlier this month that at least 250,000 Bangladeshis have been held in the jungles of Thailand for ransom over the past eight years, squeezing their families of anything between TK200,000 (RM33,153) to TK350,000 Bangladeshi Taka for each captive. A Thai crackdown on trafficking following the discovery of the graves in southern Thailand have led traffickers to abandon ship, leaving thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants stranded in the Andaman Sea. Malaysia and Indonesia agreed last Wednesday to provide humanitarian assistance to the 7,000 migrants still adrift at sea, including offering temporary shelter, provided that the international community takes steps to repatriate them within a year. Human trafficking activity also put Malaysia on a US watchlist for slavery last year. - See more at: htt ://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/after-ministry-denial-mass-graves-with-hundreds-of-dead-immigrants-found-in#sthash.Ffad7afJ.dpuf

26 May 2015: Background - refugee human trafficking tragedy - Thailand-Malaysia border camps

Malaysian trafficking camps 'abandoned after crackdown' Tue May 26, 2015 1:15am EDT  WANG KELIAN, Malaysia  |  By Praveen Menon and Andrew R.C. Marshall  Malaysian authorities said on Monday they had found 139 graves, some containing more than one body, around 28 camps scattered along a 50-km (30 mile) stretch of the border in the northern state of Perlis. The grisly find follows the discovery of shallow graves on the Thai side of the border at the beginning of May, which helped trigger a regional crisis. The find led to a crackdown on the camps by Thai authorities, after which traffickers abandoned thousands of migrants in overloaded boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. State news agency Bernama quoted Malaysia's police chief, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, as saying that the camps were thought to have been occupied since 2013, and two were "only abandoned between two and three weeks ago". Khalid told reporters on Monday that police had been "shocked by the cruelty" of the fenced camps, where he said there were signs of torture. HELD FOR RANSOM - Thousands of Rohingya Muslims are ferried by traffickers through southern Thailand each year, and in recent years it has been common for them to be held in remote camps along the border with Malaysia until a ransom is paid for their freedom. Past Reuters investigations have shown ransoms demands ranging from $1,200 to $1,800, a fortune for impoverished migrants used to living on a dollar or two a day.....Residents in the town of Wang Kelian, on the Malaysian side of the border, said they were used to seeing migrants in the area. "They are often starving, not eaten for weeks," said Abdul Rahman Mahmud, a resident who runs a small hostel. "They eat seeds or leaves or whatever they can find. It's a real pity and it's sad to see this."...   http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/26/us-asia-migrants-idUSKBN0OB09E20150526

Mass graves of suspected trafficking victims found in Malaysia - Graves could contain remains of dozens of Bangladeshi and Burmese Rohingya migrants; by Simon Lewis in Rangoon and agencies in Kuala Lumpur Sunday 24 May 2015 17.54 BST http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/24/mass-graves-trafficking-malaysia-perlis

5 April 2015: Background - Malaysia drops to Tier 3, lowest ranking in US human trafficking report 

Malaysia drops to Tier 3, lowest ranking in US human trafficking report Published: 20 June 2014 11:19 PM The annual Trafficking in Persons Report released by the US government has this year moved Malaysia to the lowest ranking. - Pic courtesy of the US State Department website, June 20, 2014. The United States government has downgraded Malaysia along with three other countries – Thailand, The Gambia and Venezuela – to Tier 3 in its annual Trafficking of Persons (TIP) Report. Listing out these countries' "broken promises" over several years, the US said placing these countries on the lowest possible ranking was due to the lack of insufficient action against human trafficking, CNN reported today. The TIP report released by the State Department is a gauge of a particular country's response to fighting modern-day slavery.....In a damning statement on the Malaysian government's poor efforts in this regard, the report noted that  there is ample evidence of forced labour and sex trafficking in Malaysia…….. According to CNN, the report especially highlights Malaysia's problem with migrants from other Asian nations who seek work on farms, factories and construction sites only to be trapped and have their passports taken and wages withheld…. The report ranks governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge and combat human trafficking, advance reforms and target resources for prevention, protection and prosecution programmes…….. The TIP report said that Malaysia had made "inadequate efforts to improve its flawed victim-protection regime" and had investigated fewer trafficking cases in 2013 than in 2012. The Malaysian downgrade had been largely expected. Luis CdeBaca (pic), ambassador-at-large of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, cited Malaysia's repeated non-compliance in meeting minimum anti-trafficking standards. "Malaysia continues to have a victim care regime that basically locks up the victims," Cdebaca told CNN, adding "... the report doesn't look at promises. It looks at results." ....The TIP report divides nations into three tiers based on their compliance with 11 "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking"…… – Tier 1 countries include governments fully compliant with the minimum standards. – Tier 2 countries do not fully comply, but are making significant efforts to do so. (A Tier 2 Watch List includes countries with a high number of victims, or where the numbers are significantly increasing. It also includes countries where there is insufficient evidence of acceptable efforts to improve anti-trafficking programmes). – Tier 3 countries do not fully comply with the minimum standards and have not shown the US they are making significant efforts to do so......Apart from the three other countries which had been downgraded, Malaysia joins a Tier 3 list of countries which comprises Algeria, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe. … http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-drops-to-tier-3-lowest-ranking-in-us-human-trafficking-report#sthash.ZdVXeTvL.dpuf

22 December 2014: 12,000 more Bangladeshi workers

The tale of 'Just-A-Man' and our $50 billion by Rubana Huq Published: 12:00 am Wednesday, December 10, 2014; IT'S not the best hour to land at an airport and it's certainly not the best time to pen a column. At 5:00 am Kuala Lumpur is also not as pretty as it normally is. But there are too many faces asking for direction to immigration, baggage claim et al. And your columnist has just turned into a happy tourist in transit providing services. These are the people who shape the contours of Bangladesh today. A quick look at yesterday's The Borneo Times would make anyone happy. A new deal between the Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot and Bangladesh's Minister of Expatriates' and Foreign Workers' Welfare Khandker Mosharraf Hossain has just been inked which will facilitate employment of 12000 more Bangladeshi workers. These 12000 workers will be joining the palm oil plantations. Incidentally these are the faces which bring back home floral quilt covered suitcases, occasionally face the immigration humiliation and yet send remittances that make us rich. In the first nine months of the country, Bangladeshi workers from Malaysia have remitted RM4.28 billion back home. Apparently only in Malaysia, ranked right after the Indonesian workers, Bangladeshis send in most of their money home.... http://www.thedailystar.net/the-tale-of-just-a-man-and-our-50-billion-54497

8 December 2014:  Contesting child and forced labour concerns

‘Malaysia doesn’t condone child, forced labour’ By TASNIM LOKMAN - 6 December 2014 @ 8:12 AM, KUALA LUMPUR: "MALAYSIA has never condoned child or forced labour, as alleged by the United States Department of Labor (DOL)... Nevertheless, the government was investigating the claims and would take action against anyone found to be engaging in such activities.A joint statement from the International Trade and Industry; Plantation Industries and Commodities; and Home ministries yesterday said the government had embarked on a series of discussions with US representatives here, as well as DOL in Washington DC, for more details and to register the country’s concern over such allegations borne out of a Verite Inc. survey.... The study, the statement said, included a small sample size of 501 workers in the electronics industry. This, it said, did not represent the number of foreign workers in Malaysia, with the electronic and electrical industry alone employing 300,000 foreigners... The statement also said multinational companies (MNCs) in the electronic and electrical industry here were members of the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and were governed by the coalition’s code of conduct, meaning they were in compliance with its standards..." http://www.nst.com.my/node/59805

Citing study, ministry denies US claims of child labour in palm oil sector BY EILEEN NG  Published: 3 December 2014; "The oil palm industry is a major component of the agriculture sector and a major export revenue earner. The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry today denies an American report claiming that the sector employed children. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 3, 2014.The oil palm industry is a major component of the agriculture sector and a major export revenue earner. The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry today denies an American report claiming that the sector employed children. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 3, 2014.There is no child or forced labour in Malaysia's palm oil sector, Putrajaya said, in response to a US Department of Labour list that cites the country's billion-ringgit industry for employing children.... The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said a six-month survey completed in June this year on 68 plantations and smallholdings in several states found that there was no forced or child labour in the sector.The survey was conducted in Selangor, Perak, Johor, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak and covered 1,632 workers.... "In the case of Sabah, the study shows children of foreign workers accompanying their parents to the work area due to lack of supervision at home and assisting in simple tasks such as loose fruit collection. "However, this is only allowed after school hours, weekends and holidays," the ministry said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider. The survey was based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines which covered workers, employers and labour contractors. Interviews with workers were conducted without the presence of the employers.... The finding did reveal cases of employers withholding the passports of foreign workers, but said such instances were minimal, amounting to 0.4% of the total respondents. It added that there was an active labour market in oil palm plantations where foreign workers could find alternative work...." http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/citing-study-ministry-denies-us-claims-of-child-labour-in-palm-oil-sector

Ministries to look into forced labour allegations in E&E sector, says Mustapa Published: November 18, 2014 06:27 PM; "Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the authorities will look into the allegations of forced labour published in news reports earlier. — Bernama picDatuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the authorities will look into the allegations of forced labour published in news reports earlier. — Bernama picKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — The ministries of International Trade and Industry Ministry and Human Resource will look into the allegations on forced labour the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector in Malaysia.... According to news report, the US Labour Department would put Malaysian on the “International Ranking on Forced Labour” watch list in December on findings from a global non-governmental organisation, Verite, on labour issues in the sector.... The US Labour Department-funded Verite highlighted several issues regarding employment in the country’s E&E sector including deceptive recruitment, poor living conditions and passport retention. “This could be on misinformation. We will have constant engagements with the relevant authorities regarding the issues...."  http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ministries-to-look-into-forced-labour-allegations-in-ee-sector-says-mustapa#sthash.wdqml9av.dpuf