T

he Environment and Forestry Ministry has lashed out against a palm oil firm’s attempt to stop a forest fire investigation by taking hostage seven ministry officials in Rokan Hulu, Riau.

The officials, who were investigating the alleged involvement of PT Andika Permata Sawit Lestari (APSL) in a massive forest fire in the area, were held hostage by individuals dispatched by the firm, ministry spokesperson Novrizal Tahar said.

The ministry dispatched the officials early last week to investigate a report that suggested deliberate burning had taken place in a Rokan Hulu forest. They subsequently found evidence that the firm had illegally taken over land and planned to use it for expansion.

APSL allegedly cleared around 3,000 hectares of land by burning, which prompted investigators to seal the area. The action evidently angered a group of at least 50 people who forced the officials to delete images and video footage that provided proof of irregularities found during the land concession investigation.

During the incident, which occurred on Friday, the group of people, who claimed to be local farmers, reportedly made death threats against the officials if they failed to submit to the demands.

On Sunday, the ministry’s law enforcement director general, Rasio Ridho Sani, told The Jakarta Post that images taken by a surveillance drone had been secured as evidence. He added that the seven officials had been released.

Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the crime was extraordinary not only because the farmers blatantly resisted law enforcement efforts but also because of the significant environmental damage caused.

“We strongly suspect that the action was mobilized by the company, which pretends to speak on behalf of farmer groups,” Siti said in a statement on Sunday.

Siti said the ministry would soon take action against the firm as there was sufficient evidence to do so.

“There is evidence that thousands of hectares of forests were burned. In other words, the land has been occupied illegally,” she said.

The government recently imposed a moratorium on the issuance of new permits for oil palm plantations and mining operations.

Siti said the ministry would thoroughly screen companies before granting permit extensions to confirm whether they had committed violations.

“This incident has even encouraged us to do more to fight against forest fire perpetrators,” Siti said.

Greenpeace activist Kiki Taufik said the incident occurred because of weak law enforcement in the forestry sector.

“It shows that companies have a low level of respect for the government. This could indicate that not complying with the law is a common practice,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Kiki said PT ASPL was a relatively small company compared to other players in the industry. “If they dare to commit such crimes, imagine what big players could do. They could have done worse,” said Kiki.

In January, the Riau Police dropped investigations into 11 companies allegedly involved in forest fires last year. Related haze problems have killed at least five people who suffered from respiratory issues.

Kiki said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo should take drastic measures against illegal burning to show that the government was taking the problem seriously.

He also called on relevant law enforcement agencies to back the environment ministry in prosecuting companies responsible for burning.

“Complaints about forest fires and other forestry-related cases often fall on deaf ears. Don’t let the public lose their trust because of the government’s reluctance in solving this problem,” he said. (fac)