Skip links

Free District

Health Science Online

Main navigation

Asia

Southeast Asia banning of products linked to forest fires

Last updated on | By | | 2 views

Southeast Asia SINGAPORE — Banned products from Indonesian firm linked to forest fires causing haze.

FairPrice pulled two of its house-hold products as well as 16 APP-related products, which include brands like Paseo and NICE, from its stores, report said.

This announcement comes after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) imposed a temporary restriction on the use of the “Singapore Green Label” certification for APP products.

The council had released a statement saying that it took action after an Asia Pulp & Paper subsidiary was “one of five companies named by the National Environment Agency (NEA) suspected to be contributing to the haze pollution.” APP is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of tissue, stationery and paper products.

Singapore’s largest supermarket chain released a statement saying it had pulled from its shelves toilet paper and other products sourced from Indonesia’s Asia Pulp & Paper, Southeast Asia largest paper producer and one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies.

The supermarket said it had made the move “following notification from the Singapore Environment Council that it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the ‘Singapore Green Label’ certification for A.P.P. products,” the statement said.

Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability for Asia Pulp & Paper, said in a statement on Thursday that the company was “firmly against” the intentional setting of forest fires and would disengage from any supplier proven guilty of illegally starting one.

“We understand why FairPrice feels the need to take urgent action and we feel the same urgency also in addressing this haze issue, but accuracy is just as important,” she said. “The fire situation is complex, and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments, and authorities are still investigating the situation.”

In Southeast Asia, Dairy Farm International Holdings, which operates Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, Market Place by Jasons and Guardian Singapore, said it will stop purchasing products linked to APP for its stores. But products already on the shelves will remain, according to Today Online Report.

FairPrice reiterated on Wednesday that it was unable to sign the declaration of the two APP-related housebrand products earlier as it was pending the paper firm’s confirmation of their compliance to SEC’s requirements. Image Credits/ Straits Times

North Korea Vice premier executed for discontent with leader

Last updated on | By | | 0 views

North Korea Vice premier executed for discontent with leader Kim Jong Un, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The 63-year-old Choe Yong Gon, a former delegate for North-South cooperation, was executed, according to an unnamed source.

This is another death of a senior official in a series of high-level eviction since Kim Jong Un took charge in late 2011 within the isolated Communist nation.

North Korean’s vice-premier has reportedly been executed by firing squad after expressing his disagreement to the forestry policies of the NK leader Kim Jong-Un and for poor work performance. Further details are not provide in the Yonhap report.

North Korean has not officially confirmed the execution, reported to have taken place in May.

Mr. Choe was last seen in public last December and Pyonyang announced his replacement in July.

Dozens of other officials are believed to have been killed since Kim Jong Un took power after the death of his father, Kim Jung-Il in 2011.

Jang Song-Thaek, the North Korean Leader’s own uncle, was said to be killed in late 2013 after being branded a “despicable human scum” by the state media and charged with treason and corruption, according to reports.

The South Korean spy agency told lawmakers that North Korea had executed its defense chief by putting him in front of an anti-aircraft gun at a firing range.

Mr Choe have taken office in June 2014. His death was the latest among the killing of officials of North Korea. He once led the North Korean delegation in joint economic cooperation committees with South Korea. He was also a former member of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the North Korean parliament.

The source also said that the North Korea’s former defense chief Hyun Yong-chol had been executed in April for charges of disloyalty toward the Leader Kim, Yonhap said. IMAGE/gettyimages