Pontianak, W. Kalimantan (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has urged the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to publicly disclose the identities of 20 corporations named as suspects in ongoing forest and land fire cases.
WALHI West Kalimantan Executive Director Sri Hartini said the call followed an announcement by the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) that 20 corporations had been named suspects among 104 police reports involving fires that burned a total area of 29,168.78 hectares.
Sri stressed that law enforcement against corporations should go beyond criminal penalties and include strict administrative measures, such as suspending or revoking business licenses.
“There must be firm action, ranging from the suspension to the revocation of business licenses, against corporations proven to have been negligent or to have deliberately set fires on their concession lands,” Sri said in Pontianak on Wednesday.
“Without severe administrative sanctions and an obligation to restore peat ecosystems, this legal process will merely become an annual ritual with no deterrent effect,” she added.
WALHI noted that 22 of the 97 corporations currently under investigation are foreign-invested enterprises, including companies affiliated with investors from Malaysia and Singapore.
The Indonesian environmental organization called on investigators to disclose the names of the suspect companies, their parent groups, and their ultimate beneficial owners, while ensuring that accountability also extends to company directors and commissioners.
Separately, WALHI Central Kalimantan Executive Director Janang Firman Palanungkai stressed the importance of transparency to enable the public to monitor law enforcement efforts.
WALHI also urged the government to disclose the names of 23 companies recommended for license revocation over repeated fires on land covering more than 500 hectares and inadequate firefighting facilities.
Beyond criminal and administrative penalties, WALHI called on companies found responsible for the fires to fund the full restoration of peat ecosystems and compensate the public for health damages caused by seasonal haze.
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Translator: Rendra Oxtora, Yashinta Difa
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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