Indonesia probes three companies over Jambi wildfires: Minister

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4 hours ago

Jambi (ANTARA) – Indonesian authorities have launched investigations into three companies in Jambi Province over alleged violations linked to forest and land fires, according to Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni.

“Let us hope that we will be able to announce the three corporations with alleged violations linked to wildfires in Jambi,” Antoni remarked in Jambi on Wednesday.

Antoni made the statement after chairing a coordination meeting on wildfire response with National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Head Suharyanto and chief of Jambi Wildfire Task Force at Sultan Thaha Airport.

He reassured public that the government remains committed to holding accountable individuals and companies proven to have been involved in activities that caused fires.

The Ministry is currently working with law enforcement authorities to examine evidence and establish the facts surrounding the alleged offenses committed by the three corporations in Jambi, he added.

He further stressed the government would not tolerate any party found to have caused wildfires by clearing land through burning.

In addition to criminal sanctions, he continued, corporations found guilty of causing wildfires could face administrative penalties, such as the revocation of business permits.

The central government has taken preventive and responsive measures against wildfires in several regions nationwide, including Jambi, to mitigate their impacts on public health, the economy, and the environment.

In strengthen wildfire response, the coordination meeting was held in Jambi and attended by Muaro Jambi District Head Bambang Bayu Suseno, East Tanjung Jabung District Head Dillah Hikmah Sari, and Batang Hari District Head M. Fadhil Arief.

The meeting discussed preparedness and capacity of Jambi Wildfire Task Force in handling fire incidents and related risks.

Antoni urged the task force to continue making maximum efforts despite Jambi experiencing relatively less severe wildfires than South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.

“Jambi must remain vigilant because the peak dry season is expected this September,” he said.