20190917 Indonesia names more suspects involved in fires
Indonesia Sep 17 2019 “Forest”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Indonesia names more suspects involved in fires
Updated: 2019–09–21
Indonesian police are investigating whether the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, which have spread haze to neighbouring countries, were set deliberately, as 19 more suspects were named yesterday.
On Wednesday, the police had named 230 suspects believed to be responsible for setting fires to forests in the two areas, with the latest suspects named bringing the total to 249.
Among the newly named suspects were six companies located in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and South Sulawesi, Indonesian national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said yesterday.
As the police look into more areas owned by companies, he predicted that the number of suspects will increase.
“This is a strong effort by the Indonesian police to create a deterrent effect… so that the intentional land clearance by burning, which is detrimental to the people, will not happen again,” Inspector-General Iqbal told reporters.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and Environment has blamed the timber and plantation industries for failing to prevent the emergence of large forest fires that have enveloped the region with thick haze in the ongoing dry season.
The ministry said only about 22 per cent of the forestry business permit holders – or 2,179 companies – submitted mandatory reports on forest fire control. This, the ministry said, suggests a lack of commitment in preventing fires on their land.
Under Indonesian environment law, suspects can be prosecuted and punished with a maximum 10-year prison sentence for setting fire to clear land.
The court can also order convicted companies to pay fines and compensation for the damage, as well as impose administrative sanctions, including revoking their operational permits.
Insp-Gen Iqbal said the police are investigating an allegation that the open burning is organised.
“Law enforcement is one of the key weapons to eliminate these fires. So (we) must be firm and not only reveal the perpetrators of the forest fires, but also uncover the mastermind behind the incidents,” he said.
Indonesia, home to the world’s third-biggest tropical rainforest after the Amazon and Congo Basin, is struggling to curb fires engulfing Sumatra and Kalimantan amid the longer-than-usual dry season.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency has forecast that the extreme drought will likely affect a number of regions across the archipelago until November.
From January to last month, burnt areas amounted to 328,724ha, of which 27.3 per cent were peatlands, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
As many as 29,039 personnel are being deployed to fight the fires now, a surge from 9,072 personnel just a few days ago.
The number of firefighters has risen sharply with the addition of personnel mobilised by the regional administrations, BNPB spokesman Agus Wibowo told The Straits Times in a text message.
The emergency response team has used at least 52 helicopters for water bombing every day since the forest fires spread about a month ago.
Meanwhile, three aircraft are on standby in Riau and Central Kalimantan for cloud-seeding operations in affected regions.
Web Source: The Nation
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-names-more-suspects-involved-in-fires