Disaster

Prabowo Approves ASEAN Assistance to Tackle Forest and Land Fires

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•4 min read

President Prabowo Subianto approved the assistance offer from neighboring countries to deal with the forest and land fires (karhutla) that hit Kalimantan and Sumatra. Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir ensures that the aid schemes and mechanisms are now discussed at a technicaNational Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Key Facts

Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir (Tata) conveyed that President Prabowo Subianto has approved offers of assistance from foreign countries to tackle forest and land fires (karhutla) in Kalimantan and Sumatra; the statement was delivered at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, on Thursday (15/10/2026) following a closed-door meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) RI.
Discussions on aid are now at the technical level, coordinated by the Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB) as the disaster management agency.
ASEAN countries have a mechanism for managing transboundary haze through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THP); the ASEAN Secretariat, serving as the interim office, has declared an Alert Level 3 status since August 2026.
Indonesia has fulfilled its regular reporting obligations under the ACC THP mechanism and shared fire data, the latest conditions, and mitigation measures with regional countries; the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that the latest report indicates progress.
Last month, Malaysia offered assistance consisting of 3 helicopters, 1 aircraft, and 52 personnel; Singapore expressed its readiness to help. Malaysian government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil stated that the offer was being reviewed as the fire spread across a larger area.
Deputy Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Eddy Soeparno, on Friday (17/10/2026), assessed Indonesia’s openness to accepting aid from neighboring countries as a crucial step; the government dismissed about 60 thousand personnel and the karhutla this year belonged to the extremes of the El Nino.

Prabowo Agrees to Neighboring State Aid on Karhutla

President Prabowo Subianto approved the offer of aid from neighboring countries to accelerate the handling of forest and land fires (karhutla) that hit Kalimantan and Sumatra. The assurance was presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, who is familiar with Tata, in Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (15/10/2026), following a closed meeting with the I Commission of the RI.

“Mr. President (Prabowo) also as we know has given his approval, and also this is already in the process of discussion at the technical level, yes. So this is the technical level is BNPB,” Tata said.

The decision followed a thick smoke fog that not only covered a number of Indonesian territories, but also crossed the country’s borders to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

ASEAN ACC THP Mechanism and Alert Level 3 Status

Tata explained that ASEAN member states have a coordination mechanism to manage transboundary haze through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THP). The mechanism governs the criteria and obligations of member countries in the event of transboundary haze-induced air pollution.

“And this, Indonesia has met all the reporting obligations on a regular basis,” Tata said. Indonesia has also shared data on fire developments, current conditions, as well as the handling steps carried out. “So we have already shared all our data, what steps we have taken, the situation, its development. And from the latest report I got, that there is progress,” he said.

Since August 2026, the ASEAN Secretariat, acting as the ACC THP’s interim office, has established a 3rd alert status related to cross-border fog in Southeast Asia. The Indonesian government, according to Tata, is paying attention to the affected region’s countries and has deployed thousands of personnel, helicopters, water bombers, up to weather modification operations.

Offers from Malaysia and Singapore Under Review

Last month, Malaysia offered assistance consisting of three helicopters, an aircraft, and 52 personnel to help extinguish the fires. Singapore also expressed its readiness to extend aid. However, Malaysian government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil stated that his country's offer of assistance is being reassessed following changing conditions in the affected area.

According to Fahmi, the fires have spread to a wider area, necessitating a reassessment of the assets and assistance offered about a month ago to ensure their effectiveness. Talks with Indonesian authorities are said to be ongoing.

Fahmi also stated that, so far, no Malaysian palm oil companies have been linked to the fires, with most of the blazes reported to have started outside their plantation concession areas.

MPR: 60,000 Personnel Deployed, Aid Accelerates Response

Deputy Chairman of RI MPR Eddy Soeparno assessed Indonesia’s openness to cooperation with neighboring countries as a crucial step to accelerate the handling of karhutla. “I hope the conditions in the field can soon be dealt with better through the presence of such support and assistance,” said Eddy in Jakarta, Friday (17/10).

Eddy emphasized that this year's forest and land fires have been extreme due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, with the government deploying around 60 thousand personnel to extinguish fires across affected areas. He cautioned the government against letting its guard down even as rain has begun to fall in several regions, while stressing long-term mitigation, including the utilization of artificial intelligence technology to predict wind direction and fire spread patterns.