Police Arrest Over a Dozen Forest and Land Fire Suspects in Kalimantan
- 22 Agt 2026 22:52 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- The National Police have arrested several individuals suspected of starting forest and land fires (karhutla) in Kalimantan.
- Central Kalimantan Police also confirmed that 12 people have been named suspects in separate forest and land fire investigations.
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian National Police Chief, Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, conveyed that authorities have arrested several individuals suspected of starting forest and land fires in Kalimantan. The arrests were made as part of law enforcement measures to prevent the blazes from spreading across the region.
"We are conducting investigations into the incidents, and several individuals have already been taken into custody," said Gen. Listyo Sigit in a written statement on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
Although he withheld the identities of the suspects, he confirmed that 12 individuals had been implicated in forest fire cases through mid-August 2026. Echoing the statement, Central Kalimantan Police Chief Inspector, Gen. Iwan Kurniawan, confirmed that his office has named 12 suspects in connection with the fires.
"To date, if I am not mistaken, around 12 individuals have been named suspects," said Iwan.
He emphasized that every forest and land fires incident in the region is being thoroughly investigated to determine the causes and hold responsible parties accountable. These investigations have led to the formal naming of suspects in several cases, though he did not detail the specific locations or identities of those involved.
Meanwhile, in East Kalimantan, the Berau Police named a man identified by the initials BS as a suspect in a forest and land fire incident. BS was arrested after burning 12 hectares of land, which subsequently spread into a forestry company's concession area.
It remains unclear whether BS is among the 12 suspects mentioned by the National Police Chief. However, Berau Police Chief, Adj. Sr. Com. Ridho Tri Putranto, conveyed that BS had been commissioned by certain parties to clear the land for palm oil cultivation. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)
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