JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Indonesia’s National Police have named 72 individual suspects in investigations into forest and land fires across nine provincial police jurisdictions. Authorities allege that most suspects deliberately used fire as a low-cost method of clearing land.

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Irhamni, director of specific crimes at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), announced the figures at National Police headquarters on Sunday, August 23.

Police recorded 89 reports between January 1 and August 21, 2026. The cases covered a combined burned area of 1,006.67 hectares, according to figures delivered during the briefing.

“Most suspects deliberately cleared land by burning it so that the operational expenses of cultivation would be cheaper,” Irhamni said, as quoted by RRI.

The investigations involve the provincial police forces of Riau, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Jambi, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Aceh and North Kalimantan.

Irhamni said suspects allegedly selected fire because it costs less than clearing vegetation with workers and machinery. Investigators believe some perpetrators intended to prepare burned areas for cultivation, including oil-palm plantations, after rainfall returned.

“In the cases being investigated, oil-palm land clearing was generally carried out [by burning],” he said.

He added that dry-season conditions made vegetation easier to ignite and allowed perpetrators to prepare land ahead of the rainy planting season.

The allegations relate only to cases under investigation. They do not establish that every Indonesian forest fire, plantation company or detected hotspot resulted from deliberate burning.

A hotspot is a satellite-detected thermal anomaly that may indicate fire activity.

Police must inspect each location to confirm that a fire occurred. They must determine whether negligence, deliberate action or another cause produced it.

“Confessions are not the sole determining factor. We must find the evidence,” Irhamni said.

Investigators said they relied on site examinations, witness statements, physical evidence and other leads before naming suspects.

West Kalimantan police reported responding to information involving 2,282 hotspots and opening 18 police reports.

Riau authorities examined data covering approximately 1,200 hotspots. Police said only a smaller number developed into criminal investigations supported by sufficient evidence.

News reports published after the briefing contained conflicting regional breakdowns. It was unclear whether Riau recorded 30 or 32 reports, and some provincial totals did not reconcile with the announced national figure of 89.

The complete regional table should therefore be checked against a forthcoming written National Police release before publication.

The police have not publicly identified all suspects, announced any corporate suspects or secured final court rulings in the reported cases.

Under Indonesian law, those named remain presumed innocent unless a court proves otherwise.

Authorities are combining criminal investigations with hotspot verification, patrols, public education and firefighting. Police said officers aim to respond within one to two hours after receiving a satellite alert.

Strengthening El Niño conditions and below-normal rainfall have increased fire danger across southern ASEAN.

Dry weather creates favorable conditions for fires to spread. Investigators must still establish the source and legal responsibility for each incident.