Cross-Border Haze Response Must Involve Corporations

Jakarta — Tackling forest and land fires and the impact of transboundary haze requires data transparency and accountability from all parties involved. Investigations should not be limited to companies holding concessions in affected areas, but should also examine the ownership and funding structures of corporations with cross-border links.

Dave Laksono, deputy chairman of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, said the cross-border haze issue must be addressed through verifiable evidence, open information-sharing and equal law enforcement. He said the response should not rest on unilateral accusations that portray Indonesia as the sole party responsible.

“Indonesia is not shirking its responsibility. Law enforcement against companies suspected of burning land is under way, and we are open to co-operation on firefighting and prevention. However, we strongly reject a one-sided framing that treats this haze as Indonesia’s issue alone,” Dave said in a statement on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.

Corporate ownership structures should be investigated

Dave highlighted several civil society reports linking concessions where hotspots were detected to corporations with cross-border ownership, funding and supply-chain relationships.

According to the reports he cited, these links include entities based or registered in Singapore and Malaysia. Dave said investigations into companies holding concessions in Indonesia should therefore be followed by inquiries into their parent companies and financiers where there are relevant grounds.

He stressed the importance of applying the same investigative standards to all parties, regardless of where their headquarters are located or where they are registered.

“If concession holders in Indonesia are investigated, their parent companies and financiers, wherever they are based, must be investigated to the same standard. We reject double standards,” he said.

The statement underscores the importance of tracing corporate relationships in resolving forest and land fire cases. However, links through ownership or funding do not, by themselves, prove that a company was involved in setting fires. Allegations against each party must still be tested through proper investigation and due process.