Indonesian President orders police crackdown on companies linked to forest fires

Heavy air pollution surrounds Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Sept 17, 2026, as the region is shrouded in thick haze from forest and land fires. Toxic haze has shrouded parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. - Photo: AFP

JAKARTA: (Bernama-Xinhua) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered police to investigate the potential criminal liability of companies linked to forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, saying licence revocation alone would not be sufficient, reported Xinhua.

The order was issued during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (Sept 16) that discussed firefighting efforts and mitigation measures for the next month and a half, which authorities consider a period of heightened fire risk.

This aerial picture shows smoke shrouding the Equator Monument and the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan on Sept 17, 2026. Toxic haze has shrouded parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. - Photo: AFP

Prabowo said companies found responsible for the fires should have their licences revoked and face criminal investigations.

Indonesia's Kalimantan and Sumatra regions have faced widespread forest and land fires this year, with haze disrupting flights, forcing school closures and causing hazardous air quality in parts of the country. - Bernama-Xinhua