As toxic haze spreads, can Indonesia make land burners pay?
With thousands of fire hotspots traced to corporate land, the president has vowed action – but past efforts to collect fines have failed
“We will go after them if they are proven guilty. We will penalise them according to the law,” Prabowo told reporters in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, on Saturday.
He flew first to West Kalimantan, then Central Kalimantan, over the weekend to assess the damage in person and meet local officials coordinating the emergency response.
The latest fires are part of a wider trend. Forestry ministry data shows more than 202,000 hectares (499,153 acres) of land were burned between January and July, including nearly 95,000 hectares in July alone.
Six provinces have been designated priorities: Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra on Sumatra island, alongside West, Central and South Kalimantan on Borneo. Fires have also broken out elsewhere, including Java, Papua and Nusa Tenggara.
