JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has urged law-enforcement agencies to investigate corporate executives and potentially responsible state officials in connection with Indonesia’s 2026 forest and land fires (karhutla). Instead of stopping with people accused of starting fires in the field, YLBHI wants a broader investigation.

In a statement dated September 4, YLBHI argued that the fires should not be viewed solely as climate-related disasters.

YLBHI called for investigations into possible corporate offenses, failures to prevent fires and weaknesses in government supervision.

“These findings should serve as an entry point for testing the government’s seriousness in pursuing the cases. Rather than allowing enforcement to stop with the question of who lit the fire,” YLBHI said in its statement.

The statement followed enforcement measures by the Environment Ministry and the Forestry Ministry against companies whose concession areas were affected by fires.

As of September 2, the Environment Ministry said it had installed enforcement seals or monitoring notices involving 21 businesses across seven provinces. Moreover, the ministry cited approximately 11,404.69 hectares of fire-affected land.

Its provincial breakdown identified 15 of those businesses in Kalimantan. Field verification and enforcement procedures remained underway.

Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat said on September 3 that officials had added four companies. This brought the total number of businesses facing action to 25.

Authorities alleged that field checks found indications of human activity or failure to address fires inside some concessions.

Separately, the Forestry Ministry imposed administrative sanctions on six forestry concession holders on August 25. This occurred after inspections identified 1,511.55 hectares of burned land in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

Five received government-compulsion orders requiring corrective action. One company also had its business permit suspended because the ministry described the fires as extensive and recurrent.

The presence of fire or hotspots inside a concession does not by itself prove that its holder started the blaze or committed a criminal offense.

Investigators must independently establish causation, responsibility and any criminal intent through evidence and due process.

YLBHI nevertheless said authorities should examine who controlled the land, made operational decisions, financed relevant activities or benefited from them.

It also called for scrutiny of officials who allegedly knew about risks but failed to prevent or address them.

“Law enforcement must trace who controls the concession, makes decisions, provides financing, obtains the benefits and has relationships with those in power,” YLBHI said.

“It must also examine which officials knew about the situation but failed to prevent or act on it.”

Articles 116–118 of Indonesia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law allow prosecutors to pursue a business entity and people who ordered or led an environmental crime.

However, those provisions do not automatically impose criminal liability whenever a concession burns, according to Law No. 32/2009.

YLBHI also asked President Prabowo Subianto to consider declaring a national disaster.

The group cited a Constitutional Court ruling that requires at least three of five indicators for such a designation. Notably, victim numbers serve as the primary mandatory indicator.

The correct ruling number is 261/PUU-XXIII/2025, issued on August 28, 2026—not 261/PUU-XXIV/2026 as stated in YLBHI’s release.

Health Ministry data as of August 27 recorded 13,449 cumulative acute respiratory infection cases across 63 districts and cities in seven affected provinces.

It also estimated that fires affected more than 10.6 million residents. These surveillance figures do not mean wildfire smoke solely caused every recorded respiratory case.

YLBHI concluded by demanding public access to concession maps, inspection findings, sanctions and investigative developments. YLBHI said transparency would allow independent scrutiny of the government’s response.