Indonesian lawmaker calls for forest restoration in fire crackdown

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – An Indonesian lawmaker has urged the government to pair law enforcement against forest and land fires with forest restoration, saying communities should not bear the costs of environmental damage.

“Naming suspects is an important step. But another question must be answered: who will pay for restoration?” Rina Saadah said in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Monday.

Saadah, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV, which oversees forestry, said the issue was pressing given the losses communities had suffered from the fires.

“People should not have to endure smoke and lost income, then pay the full cost of rebuilding their lives themselves,” she said.

She said those costs also included medical expenses for people suffering from fire-related health problems.

“The fires may be extinguished, but the burden on communities may remain. Medical bills, lost income, and damaged land and ecosystems all take time to recover,” she said.

She urged the government and relevant ministries and agencies to calculate environmental damage and community losses in detail and make the findings transparent.

She said the assessment would provide a basis for determining restoration needs, allocating responsibility and pursuing compensation through legal channels.

“Those found responsible must meet their obligations under the law. Restoration costs must not simply be shifted to communities or the state budget,” she said.

Indonesia’s National Police said on October 29, 2026, that 245 individuals and 20 companies had been named as suspects in forest and land fire cases nationwide.