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View all search resultsTrial opens for companies accused of environmental damage linked to Sumatra floods
Environmental organizations, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), attributed the severe impact of the Senyar Cyclone to large-scale deforestation and weak enforcement of environmental regulations in Sumatra Island.
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Logs swept in by flash floods weeks earlier lie piled on Dec. 14, 2025, where homes once stood along a river in Aceh Tamiang, North Sumatra. Floods and landslides triggered by extreme weather linked to Tropical Cyclone Senyar struck three northern Sumatran provinces in late November. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
A
civil lawsuit against two corporations accused of causing environmental damage linked to the devastating Sumatra floods formally opened this week at the Medan District Court in North Sumatra.
During a hearing on Tuesday, the Environment Ministry, acting as the plaintiff, submitted documents detailing its claims against palm oil producer PT Tri Bahtera Srikandi (TBS) and pulp and paper company PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL).
Presiding Judge Jarot Widiyatmono said the lawsuit met all procedural requirements and ruled that the case would proceed to the mediation stage, scheduled for Feb. 3.
Sri Indrawati, representing the Environment Ministry’s legal team, expressed hope that the judges would rule in favor of the government, holding the two companies accountable for environmental damage and ordering them to fund restoration efforts.
“Both companies contributed to the recent flooding and landslides in Central Tapanuli regency,” she said after the hearing.
Ferry, the lawyer representing PT TBS, said the company would comply with all legal procedures but insisted it has been unfairly singled out for the disaster.
“We hope this case will be decided as fairly as possible. From our perspective, TBS is being made a scapegoat. It is a relatively small company compared with the others [sued in the case]. Besides, the causes of the flooding are complex, there are not just one or two factors, but many,” he said.
