Antara News · সাধারণ

Indonesia sanctions 32 companies for forest fires

১৯/১০/২০২৬

Pontianak, W. Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has imposed administrative sanctions on 32 companies in connection with forest and land fires that devastated 12,926.74 hectares across seven provinces, including West Kalimantan.

The punitive measures include permit suspensions, mandatory ecosystem restoration, and outright revocations—backed by a parallel wave of criminal investigations targeting corporate actors and individuals.

"Of these 32 companies, 19 have had their permits suspended and are required to restore the forest ecosystem across 9,546.42 hectares of burned land,” the ministry’s Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho announced in a statement on Monday.

“Eight other entities are mandated to carry out ecosystem restoration covering 2,211.19 hectares of burned area, while the permits of the remaining five entities have been revoked,” Dwi added.

In West Kalimantan, nine companies have been sanctioned: PT MRU, PT WE, PT HKI, PT MPM, PT MPK, PT DAS, PT WSP, PT FI, and PT WLJ.

The remaining sanctioned companies are distributed as follows: two in Jambi, five in South Sumatra, five in South Kalimantan, seven in Central Kalimantan, three in East Kalimantan, and one in North Kalimantan.

In addition to administrative sanctions, the ministry is also addressing alleged criminal offenses related to forest and land fires, involving 125 entities—comprising both individuals and corporations.

Of these, 44 cases are currently under preliminary investigation, while 79 are in the formal investigation stage.

Among the cases under formal investigation, 12 individuals and one corporation have been officially named as suspects. Furthermore, two corporate legal entities have reached the P-22 stage—the formal handover of suspects and evidence to the public prosecutor.

Dwi emphasized that the response to forest and land fires does not end with extinguishing the flames; it also entails identifying those responsible for fires within concession areas, including the potential involvement of beneficial owners.

"Addressing forest fires must reach the parties truly responsible. Alongside ongoing firefighting efforts, evidence of potential licensing violations has already been uncovered," he stated.

He noted that findings and evidence are being further developed to pinpoint those liable. The government is also considering seeking compensation for forest damage, provided that investigations establish a legal basis for liability under existing regulations.

Dwi added that the management of forest and land fires remains a critical regional priority to curb transboundary haze pollution—an international obligation under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which Indonesia ratified via Law Number 26 of 2014.

"The Forestry Ministry has stated that law enforcement will continue to be strengthened—through administrative sanctions, criminal proceedings, and potential claims for damages—to promote ecosystem restoration and prevent the recurrence of fires," he said.

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