Jakarta, October 21, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has described the deliberate burning of forests and land by individuals and corporations as “environmental terrorism,” ordering a comprehensive investigation into those responsible and warning that companies found violating the law could have their operating permits revoked.
Speaking at a plenary Cabinet session at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, Prabowo said investigations had uncovered evidence of human involvement in forest and land fires in several parts of the country.
“Turns out, many corporations are also responsible. We have also arrested individuals who deliberately set fires, which we can consider environmental terrorism. This is a crime against humanity that endangers the health of millions of our people,” the president said.
Prabowo stressed that the authorities must treat the issue seriously, noting that the fires were not merely natural occurrences but had allegedly been deliberately ignited by certain individuals and corporate entities.
He directed the Indonesian National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to conduct a thorough investigation, including into the alleged involvement of corporations.
“We must take this matter seriously. We will step up our response while conducting a thorough investigation,” he said.
The president warned that companies found to have violated the law would face firm action, including the revocation of their permits.
Prabowo also addressed criticism of Indonesia by several foreign countries, saying the government would publicly identify foreign companies found to be involved in forest and land fires.
“For countries that frequently insult Indonesia, we will eventually expose these companies,” he said.
Meanwhile, firefighting operations had extinguished fires across 502 hectares of forest and land in six priority provinces as of Wednesday, against a total target area of 983 hectares.
The response has focused on South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan, followed by Jambi, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and Riau.
These provinces have been designated as priority areas for fire prevention and mitigation because of their extensive critical peatlands, vulnerability to hotspots and exposure to extreme weather conditions.
The Indonesian government is intensifying firefighting and law enforcement measures to contain the fires, investigate their causes and hold those responsible accountable.
