Indonesia Names 112 Suspects in Forest Fire Cases<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 4, 2026 | 05:57 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department\n(Bareskrim) has named 112 people as suspects in forest and land fire\ncases across several areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
All 112 suspects are individuals, while police are still\ninvestigating whether corporations may have been involved in the\nfires.<\/p>\n
Pipit Subiyanto, head of Subdirectorate III at Bareskrim\u2019s\nDirectorate of Certain Crimes, said the latest arrests were part of an\nongoing investigation into forest and land fires.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the land belongs to local residents, which we have\nverified,\u201d Pipit said at a press conference at the National Disaster\nManagement Agency (BNPB) office in East Jakarta on Friday, September 4,\n2026.<\/p>\n
Police said most of the cases involved the use of fire to clear land\nfor oil palm plantations, a practice that can reduce land-clearing\ncosts. Pipit said some fires, however, were not deliberately started,\nbut occurred because the land was particularly vulnerable to\nburning.<\/p>\n
Riau Records Highest Number of Suspects<\/p>\n
Riau has the highest number of suspects, with 41 people, followed by\nSouth Sumatra and Central Kalimantan with 20 each.<\/p>\n
The other suspects are from East Kalimantan, with 13; Jambi, eight;\nKalimantan, seven; and South Kalimantan, two.<\/p>\n
As of September 3, police had received 167 reports related to the\nfires, all submitted by members of the public.<\/p>\n
Police have previously said the investigation will not stop with\nindividual suspects and could extend to companies if evidence points to\ncorporate involvement.<\/p>\n
Mohamad Irhamni, director of Certain Crimes at Bareskrim, said\ninvestigators would pursue any evidence showing that a corporation had\nordered or supported the fires.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is even a small piece of evidence that strengthens the case\nthat it was ordered by a corporation, we will pursue it and take\naction,\u201d Irhamni said.<\/p>\n
He said many of the suspects were farmers or casual workers who\ncleared land for farming or oil palm cultivation. Investigators are\nstill determining whether they acted independently or received orders or\nfinancial support from other parties.<\/p>\n
The investigation comes as Indonesia continues to deal with recurring\nforest and land fires, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and\nKalimantan, where dry conditions can increase the risk of fires\nspreading across vulnerable areas.<\/p>\n
Read: MUI Calls on Indonesian Muslims to Hold Rain Prayers Amid\nWildfires<\/p>\n
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