Prabowo Proposes 'Ecological Terrorism' Charges for Forest Fire Perpetrators

President Prabowo Subianto has urged the strengthening of legal sanctions against perpetrators of forest and land fires, including the possibility of classifying such acts as 'ecological terrorism.' Prabowo stated that forest and land fires (karhutla) have become a serious issue requiring firmer law enforcement and stronger regulations. He conveyed this during a hybrid limited meeting on disaster management at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. During the meeting, Prabowo received the latest reports on karhutla handling and mitigation steps for the upcoming one and a half months, which are expected to remain vulnerable. He requested the Minister of State Secretary and the Minister of Law to thoroughly examine provisions regarding sanctions for forest and land fire perpetrators. According to him, strengthening these rules could be achieved through amendments to laws, involving the House of Representatives (DPR RI). 'I said, please the Minister of State Secretary and the Minister of Law investigate this so that regarding legal sanctions, perhaps we will ask the DPR for heavier laws, that we classify this as ecological terrorism. This is very serious,' Prabowo was quoted as saying, according to a press release from the Presidential Secretariat. Prabowo highlighted that the impact of karhutla is not only felt domestically but also has the potential to disrupt neighboring countries. He asserted that the government has been working maximally on mitigation and does not want the impact of forest fires in Indonesia to trouble other nations. 'We have worked maximally to mitigate these problems,' he stated. In addition to strengthening sanctions, Prabowo called for the immediate revocation of regional regulations that still permit land burning. He also opened the possibility of increasing penalties in national laws. 'Revoke the regional regulations immediately. The Minister of Home Affairs must ensure this, and if necessary, I say we will strengthen national laws,' Prabowo emphasized. Prabowo also stressed that land clearing by burning must no longer be practiced for any reason. The government, he said, is ready to provide assistance if the community needs land clearing, so that burning is no longer an option. 'I have said there should be no reason for local wisdom and so on, I think that's an excuse. I have said that if the people need it, we will help clear the land. But this must truly not continue. There should be no more forest fires for land clearing or any other reason,' Prabowo stated.