Prabowo warns regional critics Indonesia won’t be ‘insulted’ over haze

Indonesia’s president railed against “countries that like to insult” his nation over wildfires that have razed vast areas, spewing toxic haze into neighbouring countries.

The Southeast Asian giant has for months struggled to contain fires that Nusantara Atlas, an independent monitor analysing satellite data, said had consumed more than 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) in the nine months to September.

The haze has sent air pollution levels surging to dangerous levels not only at home, but also in Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor, prompting the Asean regional bloc to call a meeting over the crisis.

“As for certain countries that like to insult the Indonesian nation, when the time comes, we will reveal the companies involved,” Prabowo Subianto told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, claiming that “many corporations bear responsibility” for the crisis. He did not name names or nationalities.

The leaders of Indonesia’s neighbours have offered help while steering clear of overt criticism at the highest diplomatic level. With public anger growing, however, a Malaysian MP last week called for Indonesia to be treated as an “outcast” in the region.

“Indonesia is a polite and patient nation. Our country is often insulted, but believe me, our nation does not want to be insulted all the time,” Prabowo said.

The president said he had asked for investigations into the cause of the fires which he insisted was “not purely natural”.

Experts say Indonesia’s wildfires can be blamed in large part on slash-and-burn land-clearing practices that result in the destruction of fire-resistant forest cover and drained peatlands. This year, the blazes were intensified by a severe drought fuelled by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

“I am asking the police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Forestry, with the support of the Armed Forces and intelligence services, to investigate,” Prabowo said. “The people have also caught various individuals who deliberately set fires – this is something we can regard as environmental terrorism.”

The president, who marked two years in office on Tuesday with record-low approval levels, said deliberate fire-setting amounted to “a crime against humanity, because what they have done endangers the health of millions of our citizens”.

Once the evidence is in, he added, “we will revoke all licenses of companies that violate the law”.

Lawsuit in Pontianak

Residents of Indonesian Borneo have urged the government to do more to combat the wildfires.

They spoke out as a court in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, began hearing arguments on Wednesday into the admissibility of a case brought against the state by residents in the province of nearly six million people.

“The issue … is not merely about burning forests and land; it is also closely tied to public health, air quality, economic activity, education and the safety of residents,” resident Achmad Mundzirin, 36, said.

“This lawsuit serves as a means to demand that the government be held accountable for its handling of forest and land fires.”

Lawyers have filed a class action case claiming “negligence, omission and failure” on the part of the government that has resulted in “a massive public health crisis” in West Kalimantan. It singles out Prabowo and 26 officials from the national, provincial and local governments, as well as police and emergency services.

Glorio Sanen, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters the community was suffering. “The president must directly lead the handling of this smoke disaster so that our aspirations, our hope for fresh air, blue skies and sunshine can return here in West Kalimantan,” he said.

For Pontianak resident Andi Fachrizal, 54, the court case held “important meaning for the environmental struggle”.

“This legal process is a moment to reaffirm that the public’s right to a good and healthy environment is not merely a norm enshrined in laws and regulations, but a right that must be protected and fulfilled by the state,” he said.