ELEVEN companies, including three foreign-investment firms, are under investigation in Indonesia over forest and land fires linked to haze affecting Malaysia and neighbouring countries, Indonesian police said.
National Police chief General Suyudi Ario Seto said investigators had identified the 11 companies as suspects, with inquiries still ongoing.
“We have identified 11 companies as suspects. Three of them are foreign-investment companies, while investigations are still ongoing,” he said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta last night.
The haze has affected Malaysia, Singapore, Timor-Leste and parts of the Philippines.
Suyudi said police had encountered no difficulties in investigating the companies.
Separately, Kresno Pratowo, deputy head for defence capability and cooperation coordination at Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said authorities had recently received 98 reports relating to forest and land fires.
He acknowledged that legal action against those responsible, particularly companies, could take considerable time.
“The process is indeed rather long. However, I encourage these matters to be made public,” he said during an editorial discussion on forest and land fires in South Jakarta on Wednesday.
Thomas Nifinluri, director of forest fire control at Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said enforcement action must be based on clear and robust evidence.
“This involves legal standing that must be established clearly and accurately. It is not simply a matter of hearsay, but must be supported by strong evidence,” he said.
He said investigations included examining companies’ compliance with fire prevention requirements, standard operating procedures, early-warning systems for detecting hotspots and procedures for reporting fires.
Indonesia experiences forest fires every dry season, but the fires in 2026 have been more severe than in previous years, partly due to stronger El Niño conditions. - October 22, 2026