Prabowo Summons TNI Commander and National Police Chief to Hambalang for Forest Fire Reports
President Prabowo Subianto summoned the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto, and the Chief of the National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, to his residence in Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Tuesday (1/9).
The meeting addressed developments in the national situation, specifically the management of forest and land fires (karhutla) across several regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
This meeting was convened prior to the President’s departure for Russia to attend the 11th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that during the meeting, Prabowo received reports regarding the current conditions on the ground, as well as the measures being taken for the handling and control of the forest fires.
“The meeting discussed developments in the national situation as well as the handling of forest and land fires in several regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan,” Teddy wrote in a post on the official Instagram account of the Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday (1/9).
Teddy noted that the government continues to strengthen coordination to ensure that the handling of forest fires is carried out swiftly and in an integrated manner. Coordination is also being conducted to anticipate the expansion of fire hotspots in various regions.
During the meeting, Prabowo received updates on field developments, including firefighting and fire control efforts.
Several officials were also present at the meeting, including Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, Deputy Chief of National Police Commissioner Pol Dedi Prasetyo, and the Head of Metro Jaya Regional Police Commissioner Pol Asep Edi Suheri.
Also in attendance were the Head of Intelligence (Kabaintelkam) Commissioner Pol Yuda Gustawan, Deputy Commander of the TNI General TNI Tandyo Budi Revita, Head of National Police Security (Kabaharkam) Commissioner Pol Haryanto, Head of TNI Legal Affairs (Kababinkum) Admiral TNI Kresno Buntoro, and the Assistant for Intelligence of the TNI Major General TNI Rio Firdianto.
The meeting took place while the condition of forest fires in several parts of Kalimantan remains a primary concern for the government.
In West Kalimantan, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is still monitoring 30 fire hotspots, with air quality in several areas falling into the hazardous category. Visibility has even been reported to be below 1 kilometre.
The Acting Head of the BNPB Data, Information, and Disaster Communication Centre, Berton SP Panjaitan, stated that both ground and aerial firefighting operations are ongoing.
However, officers are facing obstacles such as low visibility, peatlands that are difficult to extinguish, and limited water resources.
Meanwhile, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government has declared a forest fire emergency status from 31 August to 29 September 2026. As of 31 August, 2,285 forest fire incidents have been recorded, covering an area of 6,587.84 hectares.