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10 firms suspected of burning land in Riau
The Environment Ministry suspects that 10 companies were involved in burning land that led to haze pollution in Riau in 2013
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The Environment Ministry suspects that 10 companies were involved in burning land that led to haze pollution in Riau in 2013.
'The haze has disappeared but the legal process is still ongoing,' said Deputy Environment Minister for Environment Law Enforcement Sudariyono, in Pekanbaru on Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency.
He said the companies were named suspects at the end of last year.
According to Sudariyono, it had taken around six months for the ministry to name them as suspects, but the case dossiers had not yet been handed over to the court as the Riau High Prosecutor's Office viewed the investigation dossiers of the land burning incidents as still incomplete, or P19.
'The cases cannot be tried yet in court as they are still at the P19 level,' he said.
The Environment Ministry is handling the cases of seven out of eight companies allegedly involved in burning land in Riau in 2013.
Four of the companies worked on cultivating industrial forests, comprising PT Sumatera Riang Lestari (SRL), PT Bukit Batu Hutani Alam (BBHA), PT Sakato Makmur Pratama (SMP) and PT Ruas Utama Jaya (RUJ).
The three other firms were palm oil companies, namely PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, PT Bumi Reksa Nusa Sejati (BRNS) and PT Langgam Inti Hibrido (LIH).
The eighth case involves the Malaysian company PT Adei Plantation & Industry and is being handled by the Riau Police, with two suspects being tried at Pelalawan District Court.
Sudariyono said in the three cases involving PT SRL, PT RUJ and PT SMP, the ministry had named two suspects in each case.
SRL, for instance, was accused of burning land in Bengkalis regency, Riau, in 2013. Two individuals identified by the initials JS and RKT, had been named suspects.
'The two suspects are high ranking officials in the company,' said Sudariyono. (ebf)
