Prabowo orders permits to be revoked for firms linked to Indonesia forest fires
Fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan have burned about 85,000 hectares, local media reported.
Haze blankets an area along the Kahayan River in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Aug 21, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Reina)
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JAKARTA: Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto on Monday (Aug 24) ordered the revocation of business permits of firms suspected of ordering forest and land burning.
The order came as haze from fires in Indonesia spread to neighbouring countries including Malaysia and Singapore.
“Any corporation, whoever they are, if there is even the slightest indication they ordered the burning, we will revoke their licences,” he said while leading a coordination meeting on forest and land fire management in Riau.
“We will revoke all of the corporations’ permits. I am not playing around,” he said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Prabowo also called on authorities to prevent individuals from deliberately setting fires for any reason.
He added that public education should be strengthened, particularly in villages, so that communities understand that land burning is prohibited, Antara reported.
Those who need to clear land should seek government assistance instead of burning it, he said. Local governments, the Indonesian military and the National Police could help organise land clearing through farmer groups, he added.
“If they need to clear land, they should report it to the sub-district head or regent, and the government will help them,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo also visited Palembang on Monday, where he ordered authorities to act immediately when forest and land fires emerge.
“Don’t wait until it becomes a hotspot. Please go directly to those hotspots … Water sources can be drilled in those areas,” Prabowo said, as reported by Jakarta Globe.
He called for the construction of boreholes in fire-prone areas to ensure water is available for rapid firefighting and urged enforcement of the law.
The Indonesian government is also doing satellite-based hotspot monitoring, deploying helicopters for water bombing and conducting weather modification operations to encourage rainfall in fire-affected areas.
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Fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan have burned about 85,000 hectares, Jakarta Globe reported on Monday.
The latest satellite data from the Environment Ministry showed South Sumatra with the highest number of hotspots nationwide, at 1,429.
This was followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811. East Kalimantan logged 576 hotspots, ahead of Riau with 503, while West Papua and Jambi recorded 468 and 458 hotspots, respectively.
In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) warned on Monday that “occasional periods of haze” could affect the country after it detected an increase in hotspot activity over the weekend.
In Malaysia, 30 monitoring stations nationwide recorded “unhealthy” Air Pollutant Index (API) levels.
Sarawak remained the epicentre of the country’s air pollution, Malay Mail reported, with the Serian district recording the highest reading nationwide of 180, approaching the “very unhealthy” threshold of 201.
Across the peninsula, half a dozen monitoring stations across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded unhealthy air quality.
Shah Alam recorded the highest reading in Peninsular Malaysia and the third-highest nationwide at 162. Putrajaya recorded 156, followed by Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Selangor at 155, Banting at 152, and Petaling Jaya at 151, Malay Mail reported on Tuesday.
Source: Agencies/ia(cc)
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