Indonesian police arrest 44 people suspected of starting forest fires
Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighboring countries. In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.
The fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting, said Suharyanto, who heads the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, in a statement on Wednesday.
'The forest fires are not caused only by drought, but also by humans,' said Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses only a single name. 'Hopefully these arrests will serve as a deterrent to the public to stop setting fires to clear land.'
Police on Tuesday presented the suspects, including a woman, at the news conference in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province. They were handcuffed and wearing orange prison uniforms.
Those arrested could be prosecuted under an environmental protection law that provides for a maximum 10-year prison sentence for setting fires to clear land, Suharyanto said.
He urged people to be pro-active in the government campaign to stop human-caused blazes and report anyone setting fires to clear land.
A number of areas in Riau province were still covered by thick haze, where Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu districts were the worst hit areas by fires that burned about 500 hectares (1,235 acres), resulting in heavy haze that reduced visibility to less than one kilometer (less than half a mile).
The government has stepped up its fire responses by spreading tons of salt on clouds to induce artificial rain in Riau since Tuesday, which will continue until July 25, Suharyanto said.
Tuesday's arrests were not the first. In 2019 Indonesian police arrested 230 people linked to forest fires.
Forest fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands often break out during dry spells, smothering parts of nearby Singapore and Malaysia in haze.
In 2023, Indonesia which often sends apologies to its neighbors over the haze, denied that its fires were blanketing Malaysia with pollution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Thailand returns two wounded Cambodian soldiers holds 18 of their comrades
Cambodia welcomed the repatriation of two wounded soldiers captured by the Thai army following five days of border combat over territorial disputes. Eighteen other Cambodian soldiers remain in Thai custody, with Cambodia demanding their immediate release under international humanitarian law, while Thailand states it is following legal procedures. Both nations offer conflicting accounts of the soldiers' capture and continue to accuse each other of breaching the laws of war, including targeting civilians. The recent fighting resulted in over three dozen deaths and displaced more than 260,000 people from their homes. Despite a ceasefire, military representatives are scheduled to meet next week to discuss avoiding further clashes, though the underlying territorial claims will not be addressed.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Indonesian President Prabowo pardons political opponents
JAKARTA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto pardoned two political rivals, a former trade minister and a senior politician from an opposition party a few weeks after both were sentenced to jail, officials said. Prabowo granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of parliament's largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said late on Thursday in a news conference broadcast by local media, after meeting the House's deputy speaker. Hasto was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison last week for bribing an election official but the amnesty revokes his sentence though his conviction will still stand. The president also granted an abolition for Thomas Trikasih Lembong, a trade minister under President Joko Widodo who was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for improperly granting sugar import permits, Supratman said in the news conference. The abolition means, Lembong, who was the campaign manager of Prabowo's rival candidate in last year's presidential election, is acquitted of the charges and his sentence. Prabowo granted the clemencies as the government sees the need to unite all political elements and as part of Indonesia's independence celebrations in August, said Supratman. "We need to build this nation together, with all the political elements ... And both have contributed to the republic," Supratman said. It is common for the Indonesian president to give pardons ahead of the national independence day on August 17. The amnesty for Hasto was among the pardons given to more than 1,100 other people, Supratman added. Lawyers for Hasto and Lembong did not immediately respond for Reuters' request for comments. Under Indonesian law, the president has the authority to give amnesty and abolition but it requires approval from the parliament, said Bivitri Susanti from Indonesia's Jentera School of Law. Still, she said the amnesty given to Hasto was rather "political" to gain support from the largest opposition party in the parliament while for Lembong, the government is responding to growing protests from the public over his sentence. Other observers were concerned the pardons undercut efforts by the judiciary to deal with corruption in a country where concerns about graft and government misconduct are high. "It shows that the government could intervene in law enforcement, make it as a political bargain," said Muhammad Isnur from rights group Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Indonesia set to release hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan
Indonesia is set to begin releasing hundreds of convicts from its notoriously overcrowded prisons after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto's wide-ranging clemency plan. The first group of 1,116 will begin leaving prisons next week, and include prominent rivals of previous President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, as well as Papuan independence activists. The announcement was made late Thursday by the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas after a consultation between the government and party factions in the legislature. Subianto surprised the nation barely two months after he took office in October when he said he planned to grant clemency to 44,000 inmates nationwide. Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used their amnesty powers, which require the approval of parliament. Agtas said the government is prioritizing prisoners with mental disorders, the elderly, critically ill and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country's leader. Among the convicts set to be released are several prominent opposition figures, including Hasto Kristiyanto, the Secretary General of the country's only formal opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Kristiyanto, a former Widodo ally who turned to harshly criticize the former president and his family, was sentenced last week to 3.5 years in prison over bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme. Agtas said parliament also approved an end to criminal proceedings against former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, a onetime Widodo ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan. Lembong received a 4.5 year sentence and had been preparing to appeal it before Subianto proposed him for clemency. 'Both have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,' Agtas said. The group also includes six Papuan independence activists who are currently serving prison sentences for treason. Agtas said they were released the government considers their movement unarmed. Authorities are expected to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates to parliament in the near future, he added.
