Indonesia Says 19 Companies May Be Behind Fires as Respiratory Cases Rise

Indonesian authorities have identified 19 companies suspected of contributing to forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with the affected area totaling about 11,046.69 hectares. The companies are expected to face accountability proceedings.

Twelve of the suspected companies operate in Kalimantan and seven in Sumatra. Seven companies in West Kalimantan account for 2,260.08 hectares of burned land, while three in South Kalimantan account for 6,595.15 hectares. Two companies in Central Kalimantan account for 99.40 hectares.

In Sumatra, four companies in South Sumatra are linked to 772.72 hectares of burned land. One company in Lampung accounts for 202.73 hectares, and another in Riau for about 7.10 hectares.

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Overall, the 19 companies are spread across provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with the total burned area reaching around 11,046.69 hectares.

Rizal Irawan, deputy for law enforcement at the Environment Ministry, said enforcement would use three routes: administrative sanctions, environmental disputes or civil lawsuits, and criminal proceedings. Police investigators at provincial, district and national headquarters levels will handle the criminal cases.

Rizal also said 32 forest and land-fire cases from 2023 to 2025 remain unresolved, with potential environmental losses estimated at 5.30 trillion rupiah.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni addressed reports that smoke had begun reaching neighboring countries. “Smoke does not have an identity card, so it can spread to other areas,” he said, adding that fires had also occurred in Sarawak and that wind direction had carried smoke upward. He said the government’s immediate focus was protecting Indonesians from the fires’ effects.

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Smoke does not have an identity card, so it can spread to other areas.