Police have named 11 corporations as suspects in ongoing investigations into forest and land fires, three of which are foreign-invested firms, according to the Antara news agency.
National police chief General Suyudi Ario Seto declined to name the companies but said the investigations were proceeding without major obstacles.
He told reporters following a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace complex here on Wednesday that accountability would extend beyond the corporate entities.
"This includes both company owners and shareholders who bear responsibility for the corporations linked to forest and land fires in Indonesia," said Suyudi.
The report said the criminal proceedings followed an earlier announcement by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency, which said it had raised 98 police reports concerning corporate-linked forest fires to the formal investigation stage.
Alongside the police investigations, the Forestry Ministry has stepped up administrative enforcement.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said permits for six more companies in Central Kalimantan had been suspended, bringing the total number of forestry firms sanctioned to 32, according to the report.
The six companies had their Forest Utilisation Business Permits suspended and were ordered to undertake environmental restoration in affected areas.
Together, they hold concessions covering 201,391ha, of which 7,531ha were affected by recent fires.
The ministry's administrative sanctions now cover 32 companies managing more than 1.9 million hectares of concessions, including 18,489ha affected by fires.
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