Pushing for Law Enforcement Against Forest and Land Burners, Speaker of DPD RI Sultan: Ecological Crimes Must End

25 August 2026 oleh admin

Jakarta, dpd.go.id – Speaker of the House of Regional Representative of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI) Sultan Baktiar Najamudin urged law enforcement officials to conduct investigations and take firm action against those responsible for forest and land fires (Karhutla) in a number of regions.

According to him, the government must act decisively and systematically in controlling the current forest and land fires, including by strengthening preventive measures and law enforcement against perpetrators of forest and land fires.

"We are deeply concerned about the forest and land fires that are currently threatening social and economic stability in a number of regions. Ecological crimes must be ended through a preventative approach and firm law enforcement," Sultan said in an official statement on Tuesday (25/8).

Furthermore, the Head of TP Sriwijaya revealed that the forest and land fires currently occurring in a number of regions are also influenced by extreme weather conditions due to the El Niño phenomenon and the impact of climate change.

"In addition to the deliberate actions of irresponsible parties, rising global temperatures and increasingly dry weather conditions also increase the risk of widespread forest and land fires. Therefore, an adaptation and mitigation approach is needed for sustainable forest and land use, particularly peatlands," he stressed.

Sultan explained that forest and land fires have serious impacts, both on public health and long-term ecological damage. The impact of the smoke from the fires can also extend to neighboring countries.

"The haze from forest and land fires has spread to neighboring countries. Nevertheless, we commend the government for its serious efforts to stop the blazes using various measures and resources at its disposal," he concluded.

The South Sumatra Regional Police (Polda) is reportedly strengthening its response to forest and land fires (Karhutla) by enforcing the law against those suspected of causing the fires. As of August 2026, the South Sumatra Regional Police and the Resort Police (Polres) have handled 16 police reports, affecting approximately 34.8 hectares of land and identified 20 suspects, all of whom have been detained.