Jakarta, ThedailyID — President Prabowo Subianto has questioned the emergence of new palm oil plantations shortly after forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Prabowo raised the issue after receiving a report from National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on suspects in forest and land fire cases during a virtual limited meeting on Monday (07/09/2026).
Prabowo suspected that some fires may have been deliberately set to clear land for plantations. He therefore ordered the police to continue investigating whether the fires involved local residents or corporations.
“I am interested in areas that, after burning, immediately become plantation land in a very short time. So, was this really intentional, and was it done by local people or corporations? Please continue investigating,” Prabowo said, Monday (07/09/26).
Prabowo also asked the police to immediately submit the names of eight corporations currently being investigated over forest and land fires. The list would also include companies whose cases remain under investigation following the revocation or suspension of their permits.
“I want the names of those corporations submitted to me immediately, both the eight and the 18,” he said.
Prabowo said the government could revoke the companies’ permits if investigations confirmed violations. He also questioned the ownership of the corporations involved.
“If necessary, let’s revoke all of them. Revoke all their permits, including their cultivation rights and so on. This has gone too far, and I also want to know exactly who owns these corporations,” Prabowo said.
Meanwhile, Listyo Sigit reported that eight corporations are currently being processed in connection with forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Police have received 200 reports related to the fires, with 138 people named as suspects. Of that number, 119 allegedly started fires intentionally to clear land, while 18 others allegedly caused fires through negligence.
“There are 119 cases involving intentional fires and 18 involving negligence. Then, there are eight corporations that we are processing,” Sigit said.
The investigation will determine whether the fires were linked to land-clearing activities and whether corporations can be held responsible.
