JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police on Sunday arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the recent forest and peat bog fires, as massive fires in central and western parts of the country unleashed a damaging cloud known as choking haze. Indonesia has been battling fires sparked by an intensifying El Niño pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB. Fires are a regular problem in the country and often strain relations with neighbors. Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for agriculture, said Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency. Arson suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 cases of forest and land fires in five provinces on the island of Borneo and four in Sumatra, Irhamni said. He said most of the suspects were accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas for plantations at a lower cost. Investigators were still trawling through financial records to determine whether the companies financed or ordered the land clearing, indicating the investigation could extend beyond those arrested. “We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground,” Irhami said at a news conference Sunday in the capital, Jakarta. “We will determine who benefited from these activities and who was ultimately behind them.” The suspects face charges that carry penalties ranging from heavy fines to prison terms of up to 15 years, he said. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto flew on Saturday to Central Kalimantan province, where more than 7,600 hectares (18,700 acres) have burned, to encourage authorities to control the haze cloud. Prabowo pledged the government resources needed to contain the fires, including helicopters and water pumps, and promised to hold companies accountable that contributed to the fires. “I hope we can get this under control soon,” Prabowo said during the visit. “We have experienced worse wildfires and land fires in the past and we were able to overcome them.” He accompanied President Prasetyo Hadi, head of the State Secretariat. He said at least four companies in West Kalimantan province are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land. If it is proven that they intentionally set the fires, they could face sanctions, including revocation of their operating permits, he added. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. Smoke from Sunday’s fires covered 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 in Borneo, where many fires are worsening due to peatlands, prolonging dangerous haze in several areas. extinguish the fires,” said Suharyanto, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name. The western island of South Sumatra also battled fires, with more than 1,700 hot spots detected on Sunday, causing a cloud of choking haze and reducing visibility to just 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas, the ministry said. Cloud seeding resumed on Sunday over Kalimantan, with 30 helicopters for water bombing missions and air patrol, and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra. Meanwhile, Malaysia has suffered severe smoke due to the fires, with its eastern state of Sarawak being one of the worst affected. One district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday, while another eight recorded unhealthy readings, leading to the closure of almost 600 schools and affecting about 200,000 students, the Sarawak government said.
