Celebrities Speak Out About Forest and Land Fires
JAKARTA — Forest and land fires in Indonesia remain a serious problem. Satellite data from Nusantara Atlas recorded a cumulative 1.92 million hectares of land burned by the end of September, more than twice the area recorded at the end of August.
Government data showed that firefighting was still under way on 639 hectares across six priority provinces in mid-October 2026. The situation has coincided with a rise in acute respiratory infection cases, which reached 333,470 between 18 August and 21 October 2026.
Against this backdrop, several Indonesian public figures have voiced their concerns about the fires. Some have travelled to Kalimantan to help with firefighting, while others have spoken out on social media, with some saying they believe they have been shadow-banned. Here are several celebrities and public figures who have raised the issue:
- Raisa
Singer Raisa addressed the fires in a post on Threads. The singer, known for the song “Serba Salah”, shared a post highlighting the state of Jakarta’s skies and asking people to imagine the impact of forest fires in Kalimantan, Papua and other areas.
“Forget the first slide! Although this is nothing new, this is the sky over Jakarta. Imagine Kalimantan, Papua and other areas affected by forest fires. No, we are not okay. And no, it is not under control,” Raisa wrote.
- Wendi Cagur
Comedian Wendi Cagur also expressed his concerns about the fires on Instagram. However, he said he was surprised to find that the reach of the content he reposted had been severely restricted, meaning fewer people could see his posts.
“Since I spoke up about the fires yesterday, I’ve only just realised that access for other people to see what I repost on my Instagram Stories has gradually become very, very restricted. Crazy. I was only expressing what was worrying me — just raising my voice a little about an issue I care about,” Wendi wrote.
Wendi said shadow-banning should be applied to online gambling and online lending content, not discussion of the fires. “How can speaking out about forest and land fires be forbidden, while online gambling and lending content and comments are still everywhere? How is that possible? To my friends, don’t stop speaking up, at least until this disaster has actually been dealt with. Keep fighting,” he said.
- Andien
Singer Andien also suspected that her Instagram account had been shadow-banned after she repeatedly shared information about the fires. She said her views had fallen, including when she tried to promote her latest music video.
“I think I’ve been shadow-banned on Instagram because I keep reposting about the forest and land fires. I want to promote my new music video, but the views have dropped,” Andien wrote.