Arya News - Despite the arrests, questions remain over whether authorities are targeting only those who physically set the fires or are also pursuing those who may have benefited from them.
PEKANBARU – Police have arrested more than 100 people nationwide on arson charges as massive wildfires continue to ravage the country, but questions are mounting over whether the crackdown will deter those truly responsible.
In Riau, police have named 49 suspects in 45 separate cases of alleged arson that have burned nearly 3,000 hectares of forest.
“Every wildfire incident will be investigated thoroughly, from the source of the fire to those responsible. If there is sufficient evidence of a crime, investigators will take legal action against those responsible,” Riau police’s special crimes director, Sr. Comr. Ade Kuncoro Ridwan, said on Monday.
Ade added that legal proceedings were continuing alongside efforts to prevent, extinguish and manage the fires across Riau, he said.
“These enforcement efforts are being carried out alongside preventive measures, such as routine patrols, early detection and public outreach on the ban on clearing land by burning,” he said.
Riau, one of Indonesia’s major palm oil-producing regions, is currently battling wildfires at 10 locations across the province, with some fires having burned for 10 days.
More than 19,000 hectares of forest have been lost to wildfires in Riau since the start of the year, according to authorities.
In Central Kalimantan, police have named 25 people as suspects in 62 separate arson cases as thick wildfire haze continues to blanket the province.
Central Kalimantan police chief Insp. Gen. Iwan Kurniawan said law enforcement was a key part of the province’s strategy to tackle forest and land fires, with police seeking to prevent fires from spreading by deterring people from setting them in the first place.
“Law enforcement is a commitment of the Central Kalimantan police to deter people and prevent forest and land fires from recurring,” Iwan said on Tuesday, as quoted by Detik.com.
Iwan said police were continuing to gather evidence, including through forensic examinations to identify the sources of the fires and determine how they spread, while providing evidence to support legal proceedings against those found responsible.
The investigation is also examining whether companies may have been involved in setting fires, rather than focusing solely on individuals.
“Four companies are currently under investigation,” Iwan said.
National Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said on Monday that police had named 138 suspects in 200 cases related to forest and land fires across the country.
Of those suspects, 119 were accused of deliberately setting fires, while the remaining 19 were linked to fires caused by negligence, he said.
“The number of suspects could still increase. Police are continuing to investigate reports and findings of forest and land fires in various regions,” Listyo said.
The police investigation is not limited to individuals, with authorities also examining possible corporate involvement in the fires. Eight companies are currently facing legal proceedings related to forest and land fire cases, Listyo said.
Police are also investigating possible criminal offences involving 60 companies whose operating permits have recently been frozen or revoked by the government in connection with the fires, he said.
More than 202,000 hectares of land have been burned by wildfires across 36 of Indonesia’s 38 provinces this year, according to data from the Forestry Ministry.
West Kalimantan recorded the largest burned area, with 38,300 hectares, followed by South Papua with 25,800 hectares, East Nusa Tenggara with 19,500 hectares, West Nusa Tenggara with 17,400 hectares and Riau with 15,700 hectares.
Fires across Sumatra, Kalimantan and other forest and peatland regions in the archipelago have created a haze reaching as far as the Philippines, prompting local authorities in the neighboring country to issue health warnings for their community.
Despite the arrests, questions remain over whether authorities are targeting only those who physically set the fires or are also pursuing those who may have benefited from them. Environmental groups have long raised concerns that companies could have an incentive to use fire as a cheaper way to clear land.
Greenpeace Indonesia said there has historically been a gap in law enforcement between individuals and companies in forest and land fire cases, despite a significant share of burned areas being located within corporate concessions.
“Between 2015 and 2019, our analysis found that about 4.4 million hectares of land burned, with around 1.3 million hectares, or 30 percent, located within oil palm and pulpwood concessions,” said Belgis Habiba, a Greenpeace campaigner, as quoted by BBC Indonesia.
Only two of the 10 palm oil companies with the largest areas of burned land during that period were sanctioned, Belgis said.
“So the issue is not simply whether people are being arrested,” Belgis said.
“If law enforcement stops with the person who lights the fire, without investigating who controls the land, how it is managed, whether peatlands have been drained, who benefits and whether permit holders are fulfilling their obligations to prevent fires, then we are only cutting off the branches while leaving the roots untouched,” she said.
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