Indonesia has not imposed tough enough penalties for plantation fires - Greenpeace

FILE PHOTO: Smog covers a forest during fires in Pulang Pisau regency near Palangka Raya, Indonesia, September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has not imposed serious enough penalties on pulpwood and palm oil firms that had large fires on their land from 2015 to 2018 and more fires on some of those farms also polluted the region's air quality this year, Greenpeace said on Tuesday.

Fires in Indonesia, largely blamed on slash-and-burn farming practices, have created unhealthy smog across Southeast Asia. The country has spent months this year battling blazes as the El Nino weather pattern has caused a more severe annual dry season.