Jakarta Globe, Apr 21, 2014
Pekanbaru. Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said on Monday that as many as 23 companies were allegedly responsible for fires and haze that struck Riau earlier this year, although police so far have named only one of them a suspect.
An aerial photo shows thick smoke rising from burning peat land in Meranti, Riau, on March 6, 2014. (EPA Photo/Azwar) |
Pekanbaru. Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said on Monday that as many as 23 companies were allegedly responsible for fires and haze that struck Riau earlier this year, although police so far have named only one of them a suspect.
“Civilian
investigators of the [environment] ministry have questioned 46 companies, and
found evidence that 23 companies burned forests and lands,” Balthasar said
during a meeting in Pekanbaru, according to Indonesian news portal liputan6.com. “We will delve into this case; this is an environmental crime.”
A total of
21 ministry investigators have been sent to Riau to investigate the case,
Balthasar said.
He refused
to name any of the companies, saying only that investigations are expected to
be completed in six months.
More than
700 hotspots were detected across Riau at the height of the fire and haze
crisis in the province in March, disrupting flights at the local airport and
neighboring ones, as well as causing air pollution to spike to hazardous
levels.
More than
100,000 people in Riau and neighboring provinces suffered from respiratory
illnesses due to the haze, according to local health agencies.
The emergency status for Riau was only lifted in early April after three weeks of
special operation involving central government officials, police officers and
the military (TNI). By that time, police had named 110 individuals and a
plantation firm — National Sago Prima, a subsidiary of Sampoerna Agro — as
suspects in the case.
Balthasar
said the environment ministry would coordinate with Riau Police for legal
proceeding as soon as investigations by ministry officers were completed.
“We’ve also
involved expert witnesses to support investigations,” the minister added.
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