Indonesian police arrested 72 people Sunday suspected of deliberately setting forest and peatland fires as massive blazes across central and western regions triggered a harmful haze that has drifted into neighboring Malaysia, officials said.
The arrests come as Indonesia battles intensifying wildfires driven by an El Niño weather pattern and a prolonged dry season. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that smoke from the fires crossed international borders, creating diplomatic strain with Malaysia just weeks after similar tensions arose over seasonal burning practices in past years.
Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency, said the suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on Borneo and four on Sumatra. He noted that plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming because it is less expensive than mechanical clearing.
"We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground," Irhamni said in a Jakarta news conference Sunday, adding that investigators were tracing financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the land clearing. "We will determine who benefited from these activities and who was ultimately behind them."
What the Left Is Saying
Environmental advocates and governance reformers have praised the mass arrests as a necessary step toward accountability in a country where weak enforcement has allowed seasonal burning practices to persist despite their environmental harm.
The Indonesia Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has long called for stronger penalties against corporate actors who profit from illegal land clearing. In past years, environmental groups have documented how large plantation companies repeatedly escape prosecution by blaming local farmers, allowing a cycle of impunity that degrades forests and peatlands critical for carbon storage.
Human rights organizations note that while arrests of individuals are important, the real test will be whether investigators can successfully prosecute company executives and shareholders who ordered or financed illegal burning. These groups argue that without corporate accountability, enforcement efforts will continue to fail at deterrence.
What the Right Is Saying
Business interests and some regional officials argue that law enforcement must balance environmental protection with economic realities facing rural communities and agricultural enterprises.
The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) has maintained that most major companies have robust no-burn policies and that illegal burning is primarily conducted by smallholders outside corporate supply chains. Industry representatives note that palm oil and pulpwood sectors employ millions of workers and contribute significantly to national exports, arguing that blanket crackdowns risk harming legitimate operators.
Some regional politicians in fire-affected provinces have called for more support for small farmers who lack resources for mechanical land clearing, suggesting that poverty and lack of alternatives—not deliberate greed—drive many burnings. They argue enforcement alone cannot solve a problem rooted in rural economic hardship.
What the Numbers Show
The scope of the current fire season is substantial but not unprecedented: More than 7,600 hectares (18,700 acres) have burned in Central Kalimantan province alone, according to BNPB data shared during President Prabowo Subianto's Saturday visit to the region.
Indonesia's Environment Ministry recorded more than 3,700 hot spots across Borneo on Sunday. In South Sumatra, authorities detected over 1,700 hot spots, with visibility reduced to just 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas due to dense haze.
The cross-border impact is significant: Malaysia's Sarawak state recorded "very unhealthy" air quality readings in one district Friday, with eight others posting unhealthy levels. Nearly 600 schools closed, affecting approximately 200,000 students, the Sarawak government reported.
Suspects face penalties including hefty fines and prison terms up to 15 years if convicted of arson charges. At least four companies in West Kalimantan are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land, officials said. Indonesia has deployed 52 helicopters—30 over Kalimantan and 22 over Sumatra—for cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations.
The Bottom Line
The arrests signal a more aggressive enforcement posture by Indonesian authorities against illegal burning practices that have persisted despite years of official promises to end the destructive cycle. The investigation's expansion toward corporate actors will test whether Indonesia can move beyond prosecuting small-scale burners to hold executives accountable.
President Prabowo has pledged government resources, including helicopters and water pumps, to contain the fires and promised to hold companies accountable if proven responsible. Whether those commitments translate into successful prosecutions of corporate entities remains to be seen—past fire seasons have produced similar promises with limited lasting results.
Regional diplomacy adds urgency: Malaysia's school closures and public health warnings create pressure on Jakarta to demonstrate effective control over transboundary pollution. Watch for whether Malaysian officials escalate complaints through bilateral channels, as they have in previous severe haze years.