Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and Greenpeace Indonesia have provided a number of notes on the handling of forest and land fires that have affected various regions across Indonesia.
Walhi said that the National Police (Polri) do not need wait for public reports to investigate cases of forest and land fires (karhutla). The police must be proactive, transparent and accountable in enforcing the law regarding these fires.
According to Walhi's findings, there were 372 corporate entities whose concession areas showed signs of burning across eight provinces between January 1 and September 6, 2026.
"Polri does not need to wait for public reports. Data on hotspots and permits is already available at the relevant ministries and should be accessed immediately to serve as a basis for investigation. Field checks (ground checks) must be conducted promptly, because evidence of forest and land fires can quickly disappear", said Walhi National Law and Advocacy Manager Teo Reffelsen as quoted in an official Walhi press release on Friday October 23.
Reffelsen emphasised that investigations should not stop at those operating on the ground. He argued that the police must trace the individuals in control and the ultimate beneficiaries by invoking corporate criminal liability.
He noted that the corporations involved could face multiple charges under various laws, including the Law on Environmental Protection and Management, the Forestry Law, the Plantation Law and the Law on the Prevention of Forest Destruction, as well as ensuring that demands for environmental restoration are pursued.
Furthermore, said Reffelsen,, the police are obligated to disclose information regarding which corporations have been named as suspects, as well as the progress of the investigations.
"The Forestry Ministry has recorded 31 cases across 10 provinces: 22 under preliminary investigation, seven under criminal investigation, and two already in the hands of prosecutors. Don't let these cases stall or be put on ice", he said.
Singapore and Malaysia urged to stop polite etiquette
Meanwhile, Greenpeace Indonesia has called on the governments of Singapore and Malaysia to be aware of their own roles in the forest fire and haze crisis that has persisted for the past three months.
Greenpeace Indonesia Global Indonesia Forest Campaign head Kiki Taufik is urging Singapore and Malaysia to stop paying mere lip service and instead take decisive action to end this crisis.
"We urge the governments of Singapore and Malaysia to recognise their own roles in this crisis, as well as the shortcomings of their overly awkward diplomatic approach throughout years of previous haze crises. For the sake of everyone's health, they must stop the polite etiquette and take firm, concrete steps to put an end to the haze crisis", Taufik said as quoted in the official release on Friday.
Taufik said that Greenpeace has found several corporate groups contributing to the haze that are either based in Singapore and Malaysia or have ties to these two countries.
Furthermore, some plantation expansion projects that are suspected of causing environmental destruction have received funding from institutions based in Singapore, a major hub for financial services in Southeast Asia.
However, said Taufik, the Indonesian government cannot evade its own responsibility. He argued that the government must take genuine action against palm oil and industrial timber plantation companies whose concession areas are repeatedly affected by fires.
Taufik pointed out that some companies that have been sued and lost in court over previous fires have managed to avoid paying penalties and continue their business operations. On the other hand, small-scale farmers are frequently made into scapegoats.
According to Taufik, up until now it is the corporations that have profited from a regulatory system that allows them to drain peatlands and clear forests. These corporate actions are the root cause of the fires and the resulting haze that occur year after year.
"Instead of floating narratives about whether or not foreign parties are involved in forest and peatland fires, as done by the National Police Chief, the Indonesian government should immediately disclose data on the companies whose concessions have burned along with the identities of the beneficiaries. Law enforcement must be firm, revoke the concession permits for areas that burn repeatedly, regardless of who the owner is", he said.
Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto said that foreign parties were involved in the forest and land fires. He made these remarks during a speech at the 2026 National Coordination Meeting of the Regional Financial Access Acceleration Team (Rakornas TPAKD) held at the JiExpo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Thursday October 22.
"The forest fires, it turns out there are indications that many foreign companies also must be held accountable. They were granted concessions, for decades, some have committed violations, three or four times committed violations, some a dozen times, some as many as 19 times. In my view there's no need to wait, if they commit two violations just revoke [their permit]", Prabowo stated.
Prabowo claimed that the government remains committed to addressing the issue of forest and land fires. This statement was made in response to protests lodged by several neighbouring countries.
"But, we also, there are some countries that mock or insult us, yet many of those responsible, their companies are here. In due time we will publicly name these companies", Prabowo said.
Meanwhile, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni revealed that 99 percent of forest fires are caused by human activity. He stated that the government has suspended the permits of 32 companies in connection with these fires.
Antoni also stated that the government does not rule out the possibility of pursuing criminal proceedings against these companies if evidence of violations are found.
"We also do not rule out the possibility that these companies could also face criminal proceedings if indeed there are indications in that direction", said Antoni prior to attending a plenary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday October 21. (knf/fra)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Walhi-Greenpeace Desak Pemerintah Buka Data Korporasi Pemicu Karhutla".]
