Forest Fire Instigator for Oil Palm Plantation in Berau Named Suspect, Admits Being Ordered
Police have arrested a man with the initials BS in connection with land burning that scorched an area of around 12 hectares in Tanjung Batu, Pulau Derawan District, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan.
BS has been named a suspect in the case.
The case came to light when the Berau Regency Forest and Land Fire Task Force detected a hotspot in the Tanjung Batu area. Acting on that information, police immediately went to the location to inspect and secure the crime scene.
From their investigation, police found indications that the fire was not caused by natural factors. They then conducted an inquiry and detained BS.
Preliminary examination showed that BS was a field actor or someone acting on orders. He allegedly carried out land clearing using that method because he was instructed to do so by the landowner.
“Suspect BS admitted that he acted on the orders of an individual landowner. Initially, BS was told to prepare the land for oil palm planting by burning it, on the practical grounds of fertilising the soil,” said Berau Police Chief AKBP Ridho Tri Putranto in a statement on Friday (21/8).
The burning was carried out by BS on Saturday (8/8) by setting fires at five points within the land area.
However, hot weather conditions, dry vegetation and wind gusts caused the fire to spread rapidly and become difficult to control.
The flames then spread beyond the land boundary and also burned a concession area belonging to a forest product management company located nearby.
The affected company subsequently reported the incident to the police.
Ridho said the fire affected approximately 12 hectares of land, with estimated material losses reaching Rp1.2 billion.
For his actions, BS is charged under the Environmental Protection and Management Law, the Job Creation Law relating to the plantation and forestry sectors, and Article 305 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum prison sentence of 12 years and a fine of up to Rp10 billion.
Ridho stressed that his office would not tolerate forest or land burning practices that could have wide-ranging impacts on the environment and the public. This applies both to deliberate burning and to land-clearing activities carried out without considering the risk of fire.
In addition, the public is urged not to use burning methods to clear land, including for agricultural or plantation purposes, given the weather and vegetation conditions that can increase the risk of fire spreading.
“The impact of forest and land fires is very detrimental to all of us, ranging from health hazards due to smoke, economic losses, to disruption of air transport. We urge the public to be the eyes and ears of the authorities,” said Ridho.
“Do not hesitate to report immediately if you see any land-burning activity or even the smallest hotspot in your surroundings,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Ridho said, Berau Police are also continuing to increase their readiness to anticipate potential forest and land fires in a number of vulnerable areas.
“At present all personnel have been placed on standby, including members of the sector police in vulnerable areas such as Kampung Kasai, Tanjung Batu, Teluk Bayur, Sambaliung, and Kelay. We have also formed a rapid response team that is on standby 24 hours a day to immediately extinguish fires as soon as hotspots are detected,” he said.