Police Name 72 Suspects in Forest and Land Fire Cases, Assure Professional Handling
The Indonesian National Police (Polri) have assured that the handling of forest and land fire (karhutla) cases is being carried out professionally, relying on evidence throughout the investigation process. To date, 72 people have been named as suspects from 89 police reports handled in nine regional police (Polda) jurisdictions.
Director of Specific Crimes (Tipidter) at the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) Polri, Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni, said the legal process in karhutla cases does not only focus on perpetrators on the ground. Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of parties who ordered, funded, or profited from the burning.
“The nine Polda have carried out investigations and inquiries with approximately 72 individual suspects having been named,” Irhamni said during a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday (23/8).
Irhamni explained that the handling of karhutla cases generally begins with monitoring hotspots. Officers then verify the location in the field to confirm the presence of fire points.
If burned land is found, officers first extinguish and cool the area to ensure the location is safe. After that, investigators process the crime scene and collect evidence to determine whether criminal elements exist.
In the investigation process, the police do not rely solely on a suspect’s confession as the basis for naming someone a suspect. Investigators rely on crime scene processing results, witness statements, clues, physical evidence, and financial transaction tracing to strengthen the case.
This approach is part of the police’s efforts to ensure law enforcement proceeds based on evidence and is carried out professionally.
Of the 89 police reports handled in nine Polda jurisdictions, the police have named 72 individual suspects. The dominant modus operandi found in several cases is land clearing by burning. This method is considered cheaper by perpetrators compared to other land clearing methods.
“Most of the modus operandi used by the suspects is clearing land by deliberately burning it so that the operational costs of farming activities become cheap or economical,” Irhamni revealed.
In several cases, land that has been cut down is burned to clear remaining vegetation. The ash from the burning is also considered to help fertilise the soil before the land is used for plantations.
The police emphasised that economic reasons cannot justify forest and land burning, especially when prolonged dry seasons and El Niño increase the risk of fires spreading.
To ensure case handling does not stop at field perpetrators, investigators are also tracing financial transaction flows. This step is taken to determine whether the burning was carried out for personal interests or whether other parties gave orders or obtained profits.
The possible involvement of corporations is also part of the investigation.
“Both corporations and individuals will be pursued and subjected to firm law enforcement,” he said.
During the investigation, officers have secured a number of pieces of evidence, including 35 lighters, bottles and jerry cans containing fuel, 21 machetes, two axes, hoes, two chainsaw units, burned soil samples, oil palm seedlings, and burned logs.
Irhamni said law enforcement against karhutla perpetrators is aimed at providing a deterrent effect while preventing repeated burning during the dry season.
The police assured that case development will continue based on evidence found. Investigators are not only pursuing those who carried out the burning, but also parties who ordered or profited from the activity.
“We will continue to pursue all perpetrators or people who ordered the act and all parties who obtained profits from the crime of forest and land burning,” he said.
The perpetrators are charged under several criminal provisions, including the Forestry Law, the Plantation Law, the Environmental Protection and Management Law, and provisions in the Criminal Code.