Asia
The country’s meteorology agency detected 4,508 hotspots on Wednesday morning (Aug 26), with nearly eight in 10 in Kalimantan. President Prabowo Subianto has instructed officials to do more in preventing forest and land fires.
A Forest and Land Fire Control Brigade worker tries to extinguish a fire in Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan province, on Aug 12, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
26 Aug 2026 04:48PM
JAKARTA: Forty-two cases of forest and land fires in Indonesia are undergoing legal proceedings at its forestry ministry, as the government steps up efforts to tackle the haze and enforce the law.The ministry’s Directorate General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) is handling the cases, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Tuesday (Aug 25).Raja Juli did not provide details on the parties facing legal proceedings or the locations of the fires linked to the cases, but said the government would take action regardless of who was responsible for the violations.The cases appear to be in addition to the 72 suspects arrested by Indonesian police on Sunday in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces in Kalimantan and four on Sumatra. There are no details if the cases overlap.
