For weeks, forest and peatland fires have continued to ravage large parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan amid an unusually severe El Niño-driven dry season, with toxic haze spreading into Singapore and Malaysia, turning what began as a domestic fire disaster into a diplomatic storm.

In a speech on Wednesday, President Prabowo Subianto took aim at unnamed countries that he said “like to insult” Indonesia over forest fires, saying that foreign companies “bear responsibility" for the crisis and that “when the time comes, we will reveal the companies involved.”

“Indonesia is a polite and patient nation. Our country is often insulted, but believe me, Indonesia will not tolerate being continually provoked,” the President said before a cabinet meeting marking his second anniversary in office.

Prabowo, whose approval ratings have plummeted to the lowest level ahead of the anniversary, said he had instructed law enforcement agencies to investigate the fires, with support from the military and intelligence services. He described the cause of the fires as “not purely natural” and called deliberate burning “environmental terrorism”.

On Thursday, the President said authorities had found indications linking several foreign companies to the ongoing fires and vowed to revoke the permits of companies found to have violated the law, adding that Indonesians could take over the management of affected plantations. 

Prabowo’s remarks came amid mounting domestic and international criticism of Indonesia’s handling of the haze crisis and spreading wildfires. Affected Indonesians have urged the government to do more to put out the fires, while several politicians in neighboring countries have questioned Jakarta’s response.

Popular

Prabowo begins third year with tighter grip as public support slips

Power for the people

Indonesia weighs halt of gas exports as nation enters ‘survival mode’