JAKARTA (Bernama): Indonesia's police have named 11 corporations as suspects in ongoing investigations into forest and land fires, three of which are foreign-invested firms, according to state news agency Antara.
National Police Chief General Suyudi Ario Seto declined to name the companies but said the investigations were proceeding without major obstacles.
He told reporters following a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday that accountability would extend beyond the corporate entities themselves.
"This includes both company owners and shareholders who bear responsibility for the corporations linked to forest and land fires in Indonesia," Suyudi said.
The report said the criminal proceedings follow an earlier announcement by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), which said it had elevated 98 police reports concerning corporate-linked forest fires to the formal investigation stage.
Alongside the police investigations, the Forestry Ministry has stepped up administrative enforcement.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said permits for six more companies in Central Kalimantan had been suspended, bringing the total number of forestry firms sanctioned to 32, according to the report.
The six companies had their Forest Utilisation Business Permits (PBPH) suspended and were ordered to undertake environmental restoration in affected areas.
They 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.
Together, the six companies hold concessions covering 201,391 hectares, of which 7,531 hectares were affected by recent fires.
The ministry's administrative sanctions now cover 32 companies managing more than 1.9 million hectares of concessions, including 18,489 hectares affected by fires.
Raja Juli warned that the companies could also face separate criminal proceedings if investigations uncovered evidence of deliberate wrongdoing or criminal intent.
--BERNAMA
