Without a Mask, Prabowo Inhales Smoke from Kalimantan Forest Fires

President Prabowo Subianto directly inspected one of the forest areas affected by fire in the Palangkaraya region, Central Kalimantan, on Saturday (22/8/2026). Without wearing a mask, Prabowo walked through a stretch of forest land shrouded in smoke.

Accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Indra Wijaya, Prabowo greeted members of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and military personnel tasked with extinguishing the hotspots.

Still in Palangkaraya, the President chaired a meeting on forest and land fire management. After receiving reports on conditions in the field, Prabowo telephoned a relevant official to send additional water pumps.

“Send five to Central Kalimantan immediately,” he said during the phone call, as seen in a video uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.

The forest fire disaster affecting several areas in Kalimantan has drawn not only national attention but also international scrutiny because the resulting haze has been felt by neighbouring countries Singapore and Malaysia.

Central Kalimantan has declared an emergency alert status for forest and land fire disasters due to the increasing number of hotspots.

According to the Central Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), 10,700 personnel have currently been deployed to extinguish the hotspots. In addition, the government has mobilised 10 helicopters and 6 water bombing aircraft.

Meanwhile, in South Kalimantan, the government is focusing on extinguishing several hotspots in Banjar City, Banjarbaru City and Tanah Laut Regency.