President Prabowo Orders Stronger Law Enforcement against Deliberate Forest, Land Burning

President Prabowo Subianto at the limited cabinet meeting on the developments in natural disaster management from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta via video conference on Monday (09/07)

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered that law enforcement against perpetrators of forest and land burning be further strengthened, including through investigation into suspected deliberate burning linked to the clearing of land for plantations.

“This [burning] was clearly deliberate. However, were the perpetrators members of the public or corporations? Please continue investigating, and I want the names of those corporations to be brought to me immediately, both the 8 and the 18 of those corporations,” the President said at the limited cabinet meeting on the developments in natural disaster management from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta via video conference on Monday (09/07).

In addition, the President instructed that the findings must be followed up jointly by the relevant ministries and agencies, including the Minister of Forestry, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), as well as the Task Force for the Enforcement of Forest Area Regulations.

“If necessary, we will immediately revoke all of their permits, including their Land Cultivation Rights (HGU) and others. This has gone too far. I also want to know exactly who owns these corporations,” President Prabowo added.

During the meeting, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lit. Gen. Suharyanto reported that law enforcement efforts against perpetrators of forest and land burning were continuing. Based on findings, Suharyanto stated there were indications that some fires had been deliberately set, including by providing payments to certain parties to burn forests and land.

“Indeed, there have been deliberate efforts to set fires. We arrested the perpetrators in Jambi; there were individuals who burned the forests and were instructed to do so in exchange for money,” Suharyanto said in his report to President Prabowo.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Indonesian National Police Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo reported that, to date, 200 police reports are being processed. Of this total, Listyo said authorities had secured 138 suspects. In addition, eight corporations are currently being legally investigated.

“We are also conducting further investigations into 18 companies, as well as 42 companies that are currently subject to administrative sanctions, suspension, or revocation of permits, to determine whether they have also committed criminal offenses. If it is subsequently established that they have committed criminal offenses as well, we will proceed with the cases. So, this figure will continue to fluctuate and increase, in line with the findings of the teams that are continuing to operate in the field,” the National Police Chief remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (GWH/TM)