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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Indonesian Military Deploys Hundreds to Prevent Forest Fires in East Kalimantan

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • Hundreds of Indonesian military personnel have been deployed to East Kalimantan to strengthen forest and land fire prevention efforts.
  • The troops will engage in public outreach and awareness campaigns to encourage community participation in environmental protection.
  • This deployment is part of a broader national initiative, with similar personnel also being sent to other vulnerable provinces.

Hundreds of Indonesian military personnel have arrived in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, to bolster efforts in preventing forest and land fires. The troops, comprising a special task force, landed at Lanud Dhomber airbase on Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Andy Setyawan, Deputy Commander of Kodam VI/Mulawarman, emphasized the importance of early prevention. "We want prevention to be done from the start," he stated. "The arriving personnel will not only provide outreach but also build awareness and invite the community to jointly protect the environment so that forest fires do not occur."

The deployed force includes 583 personnel, consisting of high-ranking and mid-ranking officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the TNI Headquarters. They are divided into an outreach team and an operational team. The outreach team will be stationed at the Haji Balikpapan Dormitory, while the operational team will prepare for field duties at Barak Dodikjur VI/Mulawarman.

We want prevention to be done from the start. The arriving personnel will not only provide outreach but also build awareness and invite the community to jointly protect the environment so that forest fires do not occur.

— Brig. Gen. Andy SetyawanSpeaking after the welcoming ceremony for the military personnel.

Brig. Gen. Setyawan stressed that fire prevention requires more than just extinguishing fires. "Prevention must be done together. Education, awareness, and community care are the main foundations for forest fires to be suppressed early on," he said. This approach highlights a strategy focused on community engagement and proactive measures rather than solely reactive firefighting.

Beyond East Kalimantan, the TNI is also deploying similar personnel to other provinces prone to forest fires, including West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Lampung, Riau, and North Kalimantan. This cross-provincial reinforcement underscores the TNI's commitment to supporting the government's national strategy for reducing the risks associated with forest and land fires.

Prevention must be done together. Education, awareness, and community care are the main foundations for forest fires to be suppressed early on.

— Brig. Gen. Andy SetyawanEmphasizing the importance of community involvement in fire prevention.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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