Indonesian Police Name 11 Corporations As Criminal Suspects In Wildfire Probes

JAKARTA, Oct 22 – Indonesian law enforcement authorities have designated 11 corporations as criminal suspects in connection with raging forest and land fires (karhutla) across Sumatra and Kalimantan, state news agency Antara reported.

Three of the targeted entities are foreign-invested firms.

National Police Chief General Suyudi Ario Seto declined to disclose the specific company names but assured reporters following a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, that investigations are progressing smoothly.

General Suyudi emphasized that legal accountability will extend to corporate leadership and equity holders.

“This includes both company owners and shareholders who bear responsibility for the corporations linked to forest and land fires in Indonesia,” General Suyudi stated.

The formal criminal indictments follow an investigation by the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), which elevated 98 police reports regarding corporate-linked agricultural burning to active criminal status.

Ministry Freezes Concessions and Enforces Administrative Sanctions

In tandem with police investigations, the Ministry of Forestry has expanded administrative enforcement against non-compliant concessionaires:

• Permit Suspensions: Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced the suspension of Forest Utilisation Business Permits (PBPH) for six additional forestry firms operating in Central Kalimantan.
• Sanctioned Central Kalimantan Firms: The six newly suspended companies are PT Produk Kalimantan Jaya, PT Taiyong Engreen, PT Hutan Produk Lestari, PT Ramang Agro Lestari, PT Puspa Warna Cemerlang, and PT Sinergi Hutan Sejati.
• Affected Land Concessions: The six Central Kalimantan entities hold concessions spanning 201,391 hectares, of which 7,531 hectares were burnt during recent blazes.
• Total Sanctions Scale: Administrative enforcement now impacts 32 forestry companies managing over 1.9 million hectares of concessions, including 18,489 hectares damaged by fires.
• Mandatory Restoration Orders: Sanctioned operators have been ordered to undertake immediate environmental restoration, with Minister Raja Juli warning of separate criminal proceedings if investigations prove deliberate land-clearing or arson.

Joint firefighting teams continue containment efforts across peatland zones in Kalimantan and Sumatra to mitigate transboundary haze affecting neighboring Southeast Asian nations.

–NMT