INDONESIAN police have named 245 individuals and 20 companies as suspects in investigations into forest and land fires across several provinces, including four foreign-invested companies.
National Police Criminal Investigation Agency chief General Asep Safrudin said the remaining 16 companies were locally owned, but declined to identify the four foreign-invested entities.
Police had received 287 reports involving forest and land fires, with an estimated 5,859.12 hectares affected, he told a news conference on Thursday.
West Kalimantan recorded the highest number of reports at 68, followed by Riau with 59 and Central Kalimantan with 43.
Foreign news agencies cited Asep saying investigations involving companies covered 104 police reports and an affected area of 29,168.78 hectares.
He stressed that enforcement action would be taken against any party found responsible, whether the fires were deliberately started or caused by negligence.
"Police will not compromise on forest and land fires, whether caused intentionally or through negligence that results in environmental damage and losses to communities.
"Law enforcement will be based on evidence through scientific criminal investigation methods, in accordance with the applicable laws," he said.
The companies are being investigated under Articles 98, 99 and 108 of Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, which cover deliberate acts or negligence resulting in environmental degradation and land burning.
The scale of the fires has also raised concerns over their environmental and regional impact.
Forest fires destroyed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September, according to forest monitoring group Nusantara Atlas, although the figure has not been confirmed or disputed by the Indonesian government.
More than 72,000 personnel have been deployed for firefighting operations, alongside over 2,100 doctors and healthcare workers, while 5.3 million face masks have been distributed.
The resulting haze has also strained Indonesia's relations with neighbouring countries. - October 30, 2026
