Indonesia Names 112 Suspects in Forest Fire Cases
Indonesian police have named 112 people as suspects in forest fire cases, while investigating possible corporate involvement.
The Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) of Indonesia has identified 112 individuals as suspects in forest and land fire cases across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The suspects are individuals, and authorities are still probing whether corporations may have been involved in the fires. Pipit Subiyanto, head of Bareskrim's Directorate of Certain Crimes, stated that these arrests are part of an ongoing investigation.
Most of the land involved in the fires belongs to local residents, and the practice of using fire to clear land for oil palm plantations has been identified as a common cause, as it can reduce costs. Some fires occurred unintentionally due to the land's vulnerability to burning. Riau has the highest number of suspects with 41, followed by South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan with 20 each.
As of September 3, police received 167 reports related to the fires, all submitted by citizens. Bareskrim's Director of Certain Crimes, Mohamad Irhamni, indicated that the investigation might extend to corporations if evidence emerges to support such involvement. Irhamni emphasized that many of the suspects were farmers or casual workers clearing land for farming or oil palm cultivation.
The investigation comes amid recurring forest and land fires in Indonesia, particularly on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, where dry conditions heighten the risk of fires spreading across vulnerable areas.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
