Indonesia probes 356 companies over forest, land fires: Minister

Johor's Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has categorically denied allegations that the Johor Corporation (JCorp), an investment entity owned by the state government, is responsible for the forest and land fires currently raging in Indonesia. In a Facebook post, Onn Hafiz, who also serves as JCorp's chairman, emphasized that such baseless claims should not be used to distort the facts and create the impression that JCorp, a state-owned entity, is implicated in these devastating fires.

He stressed that while calls for transparency and accountability are valid, they must be grounded in factual evidence.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment recently accused 21 firms, including those linked to Malaysian business entities, of contributing to the fires in Indonesia from January to September of this year. However, JCorp swiftly refuted these claims. In a statement, JCorp clarified that it does not own or manage any plantations outside of Malaysia.

The company further revealed that it had divested its interests in several Indonesian companies through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kulim (M) Bhd, in 2007. These divestments included PT Graha Cakra Mulia, PT Sumber Mahardhika Graha, PT Salonok Ladang Mas, and PT Harapan Hibrida Kalbar, all between August 8 and September 26, 2007.

The details of these transactions were recorded in JCorp's 2008 annual report, according to the company.

On July 6, 2023, JCorp announced that Kulim had divested its remaining equity interests in two additional Indonesian entities, PT Tempirai Palm Resources and PT Rambang Agro Jaya, to PT Bakung Starch Lestari.