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Issue · Fact Check · Analysis
Forest and land fires in Indonesia
Recurring forest, peatland and land fires in Indonesia, mostly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, which cause transboundary haze.
Momentum: New this weekTone -44 · negative5 stories in 30 days27 companies with an official finding
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Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014amended by Singapore's parliament on 4 Nov 2026: offences made arrestable, fines for non-compliant companies raised tenfold, trials in absentia allowedASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollutionregional treaty on haze from land and forest fires; ratified by all ASEAN members once Indonesia deposited its instrument, 20 Jan 2015El NinoCovered together · 1 storyAcute respiratory infectionsCovered together · 1 story
Forest and land fires in Indonesia
National Disaster Management Agencynational disaster agency in the fire emergency response; head replaced by Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi in Oct 2026Ministry of Environmentreported about 85,000 ha of company concessions burned in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2026 and about 335 concession holders with fire indications (Aug 2026)
Ministry of Environment and ForestrySiPongi data recorded about 1.16 million ha burned in 2023, most in South Kalimantan (190,394.58 ha)Ministry of Forestryreported 376,805 ha burned in 2024
Ministry of Environment and ForestrySiPongi data recorded about 1.16 million ha burned in 2023, most in South Kalimantan (190,394.58 ha)Ministry of Forestryreported 376,805 ha burned in 2024Related issues
- Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014
amended by Singapore's parliament on 4 Nov 2026: offences made arrestable, fines for non-compliant companies raised tenfold, trials in absentia allowed
- ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
regional treaty on haze from land and forest fires; ratified by all ASEAN members once Indonesia deposited its instrument, 20 Jan 2015
- El Nino
Covered together · 1 story
- Acute respiratory infections
Covered together · 1 story
People and institutions
- National Disaster Management Agency
national disaster agency in the fire emergency response; head replaced by Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi in Oct 2026
- Ministry of Environment
reported about 85,000 ha of company concessions burned in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2026 and about 335 concession holders with fire indications (Aug 2026)
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry
SiPongi data recorded about 1.16 million ha burned in 2023, most in South Kalimantan (190,394.58 ha)
- Ministry of Forestry
reported 376,805 ha burned in 2024
- PT Rafi Kamajaya Abadi
plantation named by the Environment and Forestry Minister among those sealed over fires, Sep 2019
- Confirmed
- Covered together
Coverage tone trendi
-44
Negative
Not enough weeks of coverage yet to draw a trend.
Tone by story
- Fact check: Meutya Hafid says Komdigi sought no forest fire takedowns-40
- Fact check: no evidence Komdigi got Msbreewc's forest fire video taken down-10
- Fact check: Bakom chief says the forest fires were 'truly nature'-90
- Fact check: health minister says haze illness has fallen and life is almost normal-60
- Indonesia's fire cases: Rp5.6 trillion in final rulings, little known to be paid-20
Recent market moves
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Key developments
Next · 17 Nov
Public test of takedown data, with Komdigi invited by SAFEnet and Remotivi
15 Nov 2026
Fact check: Meutya Hafid says Komdigi sought no forest fire takedowns15 Nov 2026
Fact check: no evidence Komdigi got Msbreewc's forest fire video taken down15 Nov 2026
Fact check: Bakom chief says the forest fires were 'truly nature'15 Nov 2026
Fact check: health minister says haze illness has fallen and life is almost normal
Latest news
Fact check: Meutya Hafid says Komdigi sought no forest fire takedownsFact Check · 14:56 UTC
Fact check: no evidence Komdigi got Msbreewc's forest fire video taken downFact Check · 14:47 UTC
- Fact check: Bakom chief says the forest fires were 'truly nature'
Fact Check · 11:27 UTC
On the record
27 companies with an official finding. Tied to this issue by a sourced official fact: court verdicts first, then other findings, then institutions and officials.
- PT Hermes Sugar Indonesia
ordered to pay Rp266.9 billion in ecological losses over 2023 fires in Kotawaringin Timur; North Jakarta District Court Aug 2025, upheld by the Jakarta High Court Oct 2025; finality not confirmed
- PT Putra Lirik Domas
ordered to pay Rp199.5 billion over fires in its concession; upheld by the Jakarta High Court, 2022; finality not confirmed
- PT Pranaindah Gemilang
ordered to pay Rp238.6 billion over fires in its concession; upheld by the Jakarta High Court, 2022; finality not confirmed
- PT Palmina Utama
ordered by the courts to pay Rp22.29 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Kumai Sentosa
ordered by the courts to pay Rp175.18 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
Show all 33
- PT Kaswari Unggul
ordered by the courts to pay Rp25.61 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Kalimantan Lestari Mandiri
ordered by the courts to pay Rp299.95 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Arjuna Utama Sawit
ordered by the courts to pay Rp342.97 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Rambang Agro Jaya
ordered by the courts to pay Rp199.56 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Agro Tumbuh Gemilang Abadi
ordered by the courts to pay Rp590.54 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Surya Panen Subur
ordered by the courts to pay Rp439.01 billion in a ministry lawsuit over forest and land fires; verdict final, per the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Aug 2023)
- PT Waimusi Agroindah
ordered by a court in 2016 to pay Rp29.6 billion over fires; paying in installments as of 2023
- PT Ricky Kurniawan Kertapersada
ordered by the Jambi High Court to pay about Rp191.8 billion over a 2015 fire on 591 ha in Muaro Jambi (No. 65/Pdt.LH/2017/PT.JMB, 2017)
- PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa
ordered to pay Rp491 billion (Rp119.8bn compensation, Rp371.1bn restoration) over a 2013 fire of about 1,000 ha in Riau; upheld by the Supreme Court, 2020
- PT Bumi Mekar Hijau
ordered by the Palembang High Court to pay about Rp79 billion over fires in its South Sumatra concession, reversing a Dec 2015 district court acquittal (Aug 2016)
- PT National Sago Prima
ordered to pay about Rp1.07 trillion (Rp319bn compensation, Rp753bn restoration) over fires on 3,000 ha of its Kepulauan Meranti, Riau concession; Supreme Court cassation, Dec 2018
- PT Kallista Alam
ordered to pay Rp366 billion (Rp114.3bn compensation, Rp251.7bn restoration) over burning about 1,000 ha in the Tripa forest, Aceh; Supreme Court rejected its appeal, final Aug 2015
- PT Sinar Karya Mandiri
sealed by the Ministry of Environment over fires in its Ketapang, West Kalimantan concession, Aug 2026
- PT Bintang Harapan Palma
concession area sealed by the Ministry of Environment after fires at two sites totalling about 457.85 ha, inspected 11 to 15 Aug 2026
- PT Dyera Hutan Lestari
industrial timber plantation permit revoked by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Oct 2015
- PT Mega Alam Sentosa
industrial timber plantation permit revoked by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Oct 2015
- PT Tempirai Palm Resources
plantation permit frozen by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Sep 2015
- PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo
plantation permit frozen by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Sep 2015
- PT Hutani Sola Lestari
forest concession permit revoked by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Sep 2015
- PT Adei Plantation and Industry
land in Riau sealed by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over fires, Sep 2019
- PT Rafi Kamajaya Abadi
plantation named by the Environment and Forestry Minister among those sealed over fires, Sep 2019
- PT Waringin Agro Jaya
plantation permit frozen by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry over land fires, Sep 2015
- National Peat and Mangrove Management Agency
new national peat and mangrove management body; leaders inaugurated Oct 2026, head Satyawan Pudyatmoko
- Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency
peat restoration agency under Presidential Regulation 120/2020; dissolved by a State Secretary letter in Apr 2025, tasks moved to three ministries
- National Disaster Management Agency
national disaster agency in the fire emergency response; head replaced by Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi in Oct 2026
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry
SiPongi data recorded about 1.16 million ha burned in 2023, most in South Kalimantan (190,394.58 ha)
- Ministry of Forestry
reported 376,805 ha burned in 2024
- Ministry of Environment
reported about 85,000 ha of company concessions burned in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2026 and about 335 concession holders with fire indications (Aug 2026)
Other outlets
Latest headlines from established outlets. Links, not our findings.
Checked claims
Disputed
Komdigi made no takedown request to social media platforms to restrict information about the forest and land fires.Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs
Unproven
After content creator Msbreewc's forest fire video "INDONESIA Still BURNING" went viral, it was removed from Pornhub, and Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) is suspected of being the party that asked the platform to delete it.FreaKind Media (viral social media post)
Partly true
Speaking at the Bogor Presidential Palace on 13 November 2026, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said acute respiratory infections (ISPA) from the forest fire haze had "fallen a long way because the rain has come" and that "almost everything is back to normal now".Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health of Indonesia
False
A TikTok video posted on 17 October 2026 shows President Prabowo saying haze from forest fires is natural and that he will send smokers to the fires "to inhale the smoke so that it disappears quickly".TikTok account @suhechannel81
