Indonesia identifies 97 firms linked to forest and land fire investigations

During a press briefing in Jakarta, the environment minister revealed that 97 corporations are now subject to legal proceedings for their role in recent forest and land fires. The names were drawn from investigation files gathered by Polri headquarters and regional police offices, which also identified individuals suspected of coordinating the incidents. Senior Commissioner Pipit Subiyanto of the police Criminal Investigation Agency reported nine corporate-linked suspects, seven in West Kalimantan and the remaining two in Central and South Kalimantan.

Bareskrim received 98 reports on corporate fire cases, with West Kalimantan accounting for the highest number, followed by South Sumatra and other provinces. Separate investigations have produced 223 individual suspects across 273 case reports handled by twelve regional police units. Authorities warned that convicted fire offenders could receive prison terms of ten to twelve years and urged the public to stop illegal land-clearing by burning.