Antara News·Indonesia·Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 08:19 AM

Indonesia suspends 26 corporate licenses amid wildfire crackdown

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Aria Ananda, Raka Adji

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced that the Ministry of Forestry has suspended the operating licenses of 26 companies in connection with forest and land fires.

Antoni explained that the suspensions are part of ongoing law enforcement efforts, serving as administrative sanctions that may be accompanied by a mandate for environmental restoration and may lead to criminal prosecution if evidence of wrongdoing is found.

“It is officially termed an administrative sanction suspending business operations. This is part of our effort to enhance law enforcement,” he said after a meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission IV in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He affirmed that his ministry is currently handling 46 cases involving both corporations and individuals.

“In short, the Forestry Law Enforcement Directorate General is processing 46 cases—15 involving corporations and 31 involving individuals. Their statuses vary: two have been declared ready for trial, while others remain under investigation or preliminary inquiry,” the minister said.

He stressed that law enforcement targets both individuals and corporations, and cases involving criminal elements will be brought to court.

On August 25, 2026, the ministry imposed administrative sanctions on six Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH) holders after inspections revealed forest and land fires spanning a total of 1,511.55 hectares across their concession areas in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.

Of the six companies, five were ordered to perform environmental restoration, while one faced both a business license suspension and a restoration mandate.

The ministry stated that the sanctions followed inspections of the companies' obligations to prevent and control fires within their respective operational areas.

In early September 2026, the ministry also imposed additional administrative sanctions on five permit holders in West Kalimantan following suspected fires in their concession areas.

The enforcement push comes as forest and land fires have broken out across various regions in Indonesia as the country faces a more intense dry season triggered by an El Niño phenomenon.

The government has designated six priority provinces for wildfire management: Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Riau, South Sumatra, and Jambi.

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