Law

Forest Fires: Ministry Sanctions 32 Companies Over 12,926 Ha Burned

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 19, 2026•3 min read

The Forestry Ministry sanctioned 32 firms across seven provinces over forest fires burning 12,926.74 ha, while 125 legal subjects face criminal proceedings.

Key Facts

Kementerian Kehutanan menjatuhkan sanksi administratif kepada 32 perusahaan di tujuh provinsi terkait karhutla, diumumkan melalui siaran pers Senin (19/10/2026).
Total areal terbakar yang dikaitkan dengan 32 perusahaan tersebut mencapai 12.926,74 hektare; jumlah perusahaan naik dari sebelumnya 26 menjadi 32.
Rincian sanksi: 19 perusahaan dibekukan izinnya disertai paksaan pemulihan ekosistem (9.546,42 ha); 8 subjek hukum dikenai paksaan pemulihan ekosistem (2.211,19 ha); 5 subjek hukum dicabut izinnya.
Sebaran: Kalimantan Barat 9 (terbanyak), Kalimantan Tengah 7, Sumatera Selatan 5, Kalimantan Selatan 5, Kalimantan Timur 3, Jambi 2, Kalimantan Utara 1.
Jalur pidana: 125 subjek hukum diproses — 44 tahap penyelidikan, 79 tahap penyidikan; 12 orang dan 1 korporasi ditetapkan sebagai tersangka; 2 korporasi mencapai tahap P-22.
Dirjen Gakkum Kehutanan Dwi Januanto Nugroho: penegakan menyasar pihak yang bertanggung jawab termasuk beneficial owner, serta membuka peluang gugatan ganti kerugian lingkungan.

Administrative sanctions for 32 companies

Jakarta ΓÇö The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) imposed administrative sanctions on 32 companies across seven provinces on Monday (19/10/2026) regarding forest and land fires (karhutla). The total burned area associated with these concession holders reached 12,926.74 hectares.

The number of penalized corporations rose from an earlier figure of 26 to 32 companies. West Kalimantan emerged as the province with the highest tally of implicated entities, registering nine problematic companies.

Of the 32 entities, 19 companies had their permits suspended alongside mandatory forest ecosystem restoration across 9,546.42 hectares of burned land. Eight legal entities were ordered to restore ecosystems covering 2,211.19 hectares, while permits were revoked for five other legal subjects.

Distribution of companies across seven provinces

Nine companies in West Kalimantan were listed among the penalized entities: PT MRU, PT WE, PT HKI, PT MPM, PT MPK, PT DAS, PT WSP, PT FI, and PT WLJ. In Central Kalimantan, seven firms appeared on the list: PT PW, PT GPP, PT BHP, PT BWL, PT NES, PT DI, and PT TI.

Meanwhile, five corporations were sanctioned in South Kalimantan (PT IIP, PT HRB, PT DI, PT PM, PT KT), three in East Kalimantan (PT IITG, PT PSR, PT DPP), and one in North Kalimantan (PT RKR). Outside the island of Borneo/Kalimantan, penalties were handed to two companies in Jambi (PT REI, PT ALN) and five in South Sumatra (PT BMH, PT BPP, PT SAN, PT RHM, PT BA).

This enforcement is aimed at ensuring forest protection obligations are upheld by concession holders, while also identifying those accountable for fires within permitted concessions.

125 legal subjects face criminal proceedings

Beyond administrative penalties, Kemenhut is pursuing criminal prosecution against 125 legal entities, comprising both individuals and corporations. As many as 44 legal subjects are under preliminary investigation (penyelidikan), while 79 others have advanced to full criminal investigation (penyidikan).

Investigators have named 12 individuals and one corporation as criminal suspects. Two other corporate legal subjects have reached the P-22 stage, denoting the formal handover of suspects and case evidence to public prosecutors.

Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho stressed that tackling karhutla must go beyond extinguishing blazes and mitigating haze impacts. 'Handling forest fires must reach the parties directly responsible. Alongside ongoing firefighting operations, suspected permit violations have been uncovered,' Januanto said.

Kemenhut is also tracing the beneficial owners behind the commercial activities linked to the fires, while leaving the door open to civil compensation lawsuits for forest ecosystem destruction. A multi-door law enforcement approachΓÇöcombining administrative sanctions, criminal prosecution, and civil environmental litigationΓÇöis being implemented concurrently.

Transboundary haze remains a key concern

Kemenhut also underlined the transboundary fallout of forest and land fires. Indonesia has ratified the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution through Law No. 26/2014, while Singapore enforces the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 as its legal foundation to penalize entities causing cross-border haze pollution.

According to the ministry, reinforcing both regional and domestic policy is an integral part of concerted actions to curb forest fires and safeguard public health from toxic haze. Monitoring sanction enforcement and ecosystem rehabilitation forms the vital next phase.