In response to media queries, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) confirmed yesterday that it does not purchase any of its newsprint supplies from the five companies under probe for links to the forest fires in Indonesia.

Late last month, the National Environment Agency began legal action against Singapore-based firm Asia Pulp and Paper and four Indonesian companies it believes to be behind the burning.

The haze from forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra spread as far as Thailand after blanketing the skies and affecting the air quality in parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines in recent weeks.

SPH said it purchases its newsprint supplies for its newspapers from diversified sources in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific.

Said Mr Alan Chan, chief executive officer of SPH: "A very high percentage - some 80 per cent - of the newsprint is derived from recycled paper.

"Only the remaining 20 per cent is from virgin pulp and this comes from certified sustainable sources. None of the virgin pulp is sourced from Indonesia."

The certifications include the Forest Stewardship Council certification, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, ISO 14001, certification by the South Korean Board of National Technology and Quality and the EU Ecolabel.

SPH said that as a leading media organisation in South-east Asia and a responsible corporate citizen, it strongly supports sustainability and aims to remain at the forefront of corporate social responsibility.