As massive forest and land fires burn across parts of
Indonesia , sending haze towards neighbouring Malaysia, President Prabowo Subianto has vowed firm action against big corporations found responsible – reviving a long-running test of whether Jakarta can punish those behind the blazes and finally break the cycle.
“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.
The blazes have produced choking smoke, forced school closures and blanketed parts of the region in haze that has drifted into Malaysia , with Sarawak among the worst-affected areas.
Government buildings shrouded in haze in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Tuesday. Massive forest and land fires across parts of Indonesia have sent haze towards the neighbouring nation. Photo: EPA
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