Indonesia arrests 72 over forest fires as haze spreads to Malaysia

Jakarta,UPDATED: Aug 23, 2026 19:14 IST

Indonesian authorities have arrested 72 people suspected of starting forest and peatland fires as large blaves in central and western parts of the country generated thick haze. The fires, driven by an intensifying El Nio pattern and a prolonged dry season, have also sent dense smoke across to Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB.

The arrests are linked to dozens of fire cases across Borneo and Sumatra, as officials investigate whether those detained were acting on behalf of larger interests. Fires are a recurring problem in Indonesia and often strain ties with neighbouring countries.

Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency, said plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming. He said the suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on Borneo and four on Sumatra.

Irhamni said most of the suspects were accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas for plantations at lower cost. Investigators were still tracing financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the land clearing, indicating that the investigation could widen beyond those already arrested. “We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground,” Irhamni said at a news conference in Jakarta on Sunday. “We will determine who benefited from these activities and who was ultimately behind them.” He said the suspects face charges carrying penalties ranging from heavy fines to prison terms of up to 15 years.

On Sunday, fires blanketed parts of Borneo, the world’s third-largest island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia administers about three-quarters of the island, where the country’s Environment Ministry recorded more than 3,700 hot spots on Sunday. BNPB chief Suharyanto said fire activity had increased in West, Central and South Kalimantan provinces on Borneo, where many blazes worsen because of peatlands, extending haze in several areas. “Land that appears extinguished on the surface may still contain embers underneath, so sufficient rainfall is crucial to rewet the peat and fully suppress the fires,” Suharyanto said.

South Sumatra was also battling fires, with more than 1,700 hot spots detected on Sunday. The ministry said the fires caused dense haze and reduced visibility to as little as 10 metres in some places. Cloud-seeding operations resumed over Kalimantan on Sunday, with 30 helicopters deployed for water-bombing and aerial patrol missions there, and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra.

Malaysia has meanwhile been hit by severe smoke from the fires, with the eastern state of Sarawak among the worst affected. One district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday, while eight others posted unhealthy readings, prompting the closure of nearly 600 schools and affecting about 200,000 students, the Sarawak government said. The arrests, the continuing fires across Borneo and Sumatra, and the spread of haze into Malaysia underline the scale of the crisis Indonesia is dealing with during the prolonged dry spell.

With PTI Inputs

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