Haze: Reveal 57 Companies Behind Indonesia’s Forest Fires – SAM
KUALA LUMPUR: The Indonesian government must be transparent and open in addressing the regional haze crisis caused by fires in the country by disclosing all information about the 57 companies allegedly responsible for the irresponsible activities.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) President Meena Raman said public disclosure was essential to identify those responsible and initiate legal action against the companies, as their activities had caused widespread negative consequences.
She stressed that companies adopting the easy and inexpensive method of burning land for replanting must face strict punishment from the Indonesian government.
“Even schools have been forced to close, while many people are suffering from various health problems because of their actions.
“This is not an isolated incident. These companies have been burning forests for decades, affecting the lives of millions of people across neighbouring countries,” she said.
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Kuala Lumpur previously said in a statement that Indonesia had identified 198 individual suspects in investigations into forest and land fires, while processing 97 police reports involving companies as part of law enforcement efforts to address the fires that have also caused haze in Malaysia.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the Indonesian National Police were handling 247 police reports involving individuals, while Indonesia’s Environment Ministry had recorded 57 business entities with fire-affected concession areas across eight provinces.
The affected concession areas covered 33,514.01 hectares, involving 16 business entities in Sumatra with a total area of 3,813.85 hectares and 41 entities in Kalimantan covering 29,700.16 hectares.
Elaborating further, Meena said disclosing the companies’ identities would also allow people in affected countries to seek solutions without relying solely on government or enforcement authorities.
“For example, members of the public could protest against these companies by boycotting their products as a sign of opposition to the irresponsible conduct of the companies and their owners,” she said.
Awani