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Six people arrested over forest fires in Riau
Riau Police chief Brig
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R
iau Police chief Brig. Gen.Condro Kirono announced the arrest of six people allegedly involved inslash-and- burn activities. He said the arrests were madepossible due to tip offs from local residents.
'These people were arrested in the middle of the slash-and- burn activities,' he said on Thursday.
The six people were identified only as SW, YS, P, NS, MS and Y. They are currently being held at the Riau Police detention centre for further questioning,
Condro said the police were also investigating the alleged involvement of PT National Sago Prima management in a fire that razed thousands of hectares of plantation on Meranti Island regency. The police have currently questioned 13 witnesses related to the case.
Plantations contribute greatly to Riau's output. However, the slash-and-burn activities associated with it often resulted in the touchy subject of haze, which had environmental and health repercussions, not only domestically but also neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
Condro said the administration would procure an airplane to extinguish fires from above.
'We have tried everything in order to tackle the haze. We believe that purchasing or at least hiring the plane is a good idea,'(dic)
