September 4, 2026 | 05:57 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has named 112 people as suspects in forest and land fire cases across several areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
All 112 suspects are individuals, while police are still investigating whether corporations may have been involved in the fires.
Pipit Subiyanto, head of Subdirectorate III at Bareskrim's Directorate of Certain Crimes, said the latest arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into forest and land fires.
“Most of the land belongs to local residents, which we have verified,” Pipit said at a press conference at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) office in East Jakarta on Friday, September 4, 2026.
Police said most of the cases involved the use of fire to clear land for oil palm plantations, a practice that can reduce land-clearing costs. Pipit said some fires, however, were not deliberately started, but occurred because the land was particularly vulnerable to burning.
Riau Records Highest Number of Suspects
Riau has the highest number of suspects, with 41 people, followed by South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan with 20 each.
The other suspects are from East Kalimantan, with 13; Jambi, eight; Kalimantan, seven; and South Kalimantan, two.
As of September 3, police had received 167 reports related to the fires, all submitted by members of the public.
Police have previously said the investigation will not stop with individual suspects and could extend to companies if evidence points to corporate involvement.
Mohamad Irhamni, director of Certain Crimes at Bareskrim, said investigators would pursue any evidence showing that a corporation had ordered or supported the fires.
“If there is even a small piece of evidence that strengthens the case that it was ordered by a corporation, we will pursue it and take action,” Irhamni said.
He said many of the suspects were farmers or casual workers who cleared land for farming or oil palm cultivation. Investigators are still determining whether they acted independently or received orders or financial support from other parties.
The investigation comes as Indonesia continues to deal with recurring forest and land fires, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, where dry conditions can increase the risk of fires spreading across vulnerable areas.
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