Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto thanked military, police and other personnel involved in fighting forest and land fires in several parts of Indonesia, Political and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister Dudung Abdurachman said.
Speaking after a limited meeting with Prabowo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, he said the president praised crews still fighting the fires.
“He expressed his gratitude to all personnel, including those from the military, police and every other component involved,” Dudung said.
Prabowo is closely monitoring the fires and has urged all relevant agencies to maximize firefighting and prevention efforts to contain them quickly, Dudung said.
“The president’s target is to put out the fires as soon as possible. He is paying very close attention to this issue,” Dudung said, adding that the government received updates on firefighting operations in six provinces during the meeting.
Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra are the main areas of concern, including Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, a habitat for protected wildlife.
Firefighters face several challenges, particularly thick smoke that makes aerial firefighting difficult.
As a result, operations are relying more heavily on ground crews to reach fire hotspots, Dudung said.
“Ground operations mean fighting fires from the ground, as many areas are difficult to access,” he said.
The government is also rotating personnel to sustain firefighting operations and prevent crews from becoming exhausted.
Troops from the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) have been deployed, while the military chief is rotating personnel assigned to affected areas.
Beyond firefighting, the government is strengthening prevention efforts through coordination among the military, police, local governments and communities.
These measures include public awareness campaigns to prevent forest and land fires, with Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) supporting firefighting efforts.
Dudung added that the government was preparing to establish a National Peatland and Mangrove Management Agency to improve the management of peatlands and mangrove areas.
Asked whether the fires might be declared a national disaster, Dudung said the government had made no such decision because existing resources remained sufficient to manage the situation.
“No, not yet. We still have the capacity to handle it,” he said.
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Translator: Aditya R, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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