Indonesia Revokes Permits of 5 Companies Over Forest Fires

The Minister of Forestry and the Environment, Raja Juli Antoni, has revoked the business permits of five companies in relation to forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Kalimantan. This action is part of the government's law enforcement efforts, as ordered by President Prabowo Subianto, which aims to be indiscriminate and sharp towards both small and large entities. The five companies whose permits were revoked are PT Wana Lestari Jaya in Sanggau and Sekadau, West Kalimantan, with a concession area of approximately 29,140 hectares; PT Prima Multi Buana in Banjar, South Kalimantan, with a concession area of 11,882 hectares; and PT Pancaran Wana Nusa in Lamandau, Central Kalimantan, covering 3,812 hectares. Two other companies are PT Grace Putri Perdana in Lamandau, Sukamara, and Ketapang, with an area of 28,990 hectares; and PT Babugus Wahana Lestari in Kapuas, Central Kalimantan, with an area of 18,640 hectares. The total concession area for these five companies amounts to 92,464 hectares. Minister Raja Juli stated that the burned areas within each company's concessions were 47.84 hectares for PT Wana Lestari Jaya, 18.20 hectares for PT Prima Multi Buana, 497 hectares for PT Pancaran Wana Nusa, 374.99 hectares for PT Grace Putri Perdana, and 231.10 hectares for PT Babugus Wahana Lestari. The total burned area reached 1,169.13 hectares. He emphasized that the revocation is due to the companies' violations and their failure to fulfill their obligations to protect their designated areas and adhere to the terms of their permits. "But once again, because they ignored this, did not care about it, today I revoked these five," he said. Raja Juli expressed hope that this law enforcement action would serve as a deterrent to other companies under the Ministry of Forestry, preventing them from engaging in or allowing forest and land fires. This move underscores the Indonesian government's commitment to tackling environmental issues, particularly the recurring problem of forest fires which often lead to severe haze and air pollution across the region.