JAKARTA — Indonesia has arrested 72 people suspected of involvement in deliberately started forest and land fires, as a major wildfire crisis continues to blanket parts of Borneo with thick haze and raises fresh concerns across Southeast Asia.
The arrests cover 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on Borneo island and four additional cases on Sumatra, according to Indonesian police officials cited by CNA and the Associated Press.
Authorities say many of those detained are suspected of intentionally burning land to clear areas for plantations at lower cost.
But the investigation may not end with the people accused of starting the fires.
Indonesian investigators are now examining financial records to determine whether companies or other parties may have financed, ordered or benefited from the land-clearing operations.
“We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground,” a senior Indonesian police investigator said, signaling that authorities could pursue those allegedly behind the fires—not just those who physically started them.
Central Kalimantan Emerges as a Major Fire Zone
The crackdown comes as Central Kalimantan faces severe wildfire activity.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited the province as authorities battled fires that have burned more than 7,600 hectares there. He pledged additional government resources, including helicopters and water pumps, to help contain the flames and said companies found responsible would be held accountable.
The scale of the broader crisis is even more striking.
Indonesia’s government has said that fires between January and July burned more than 200,000 hectares of land. Separate independent analysis cited by CNA estimated that more than 285,000 hectares had burned by July, illustrating the difficulty of measuring the full extent of the fires while they remain active.
The country’s disaster authorities have also recorded thousands of hotspots across Borneo and Sumatra as the dry conditions intensify. AP reported more than 3,700 hotspots on Borneo and about 1,700 in South Sumatra in recent monitoring.
Why the Fires Are Spreading
The current fire season has been intensified by a combination of prolonged dry weather, El Niño conditions and human land-clearing practices.
Indonesia has long struggled with fires deliberately set to clear land, particularly in areas where burning can be a cheaper method of preparing plantations or agricultural plots.
The problem becomes especially serious when fires spread into peatlands.
Peat can smolder underground for extended periods, making fires difficult to extinguish and allowing smoke to persist even after visible flames have disappeared.
Indonesia has responded with multiple measures, including firefighting aircraft, ground teams and cloud-seeding operations designed to encourage rainfall where suitable clouds are available. CNA reported that the government has been expanding weather-modification efforts as officials confront what experts describe as a potentially severe fire season.
The Haze Is No Longer Just Indonesia’s Problem
The fires are also creating a regional environmental and public-health concern.
Smoke from Borneo has crossed into neighboring Malaysia, where parts of Sarawak have experienced deteriorating air quality.
AP reported that nearly 600 schools in Sarawak were closed, affecting around 200,000 students, as authorities responded to hazardous air conditions linked to the regional haze.
The situation is particularly significant because Indonesia’s forest-fire problem has historically affected air quality beyond its borders, creating diplomatic and environmental tensions with neighboring countries.
Borneo itself is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, meaning severe fires can quickly become a cross-border issue.
Indonesia Is Now Following the Money
The most consequential part of the latest investigation could be what happens next.
Police are examining financial records to establish whether businesses or other actors provided money or instructions for land clearing.
Four companies in West Kalimantan are already under scrutiny, according to AP. Authorities have indicated that companies found responsible could face serious sanctions.
That makes the investigation potentially much broader than a conventional crackdown on individuals accused of setting fires.
If investigators establish financial or organizational links, the case could shift from individual fire-setting allegations to questions about who ordered the clearing, who paid for it and who ultimately benefited.
For now, however, those links remain under investigation and should not be treated as established wrongdoing.
A Warning for Indonesia—and the Region
The arrests send a strong message ahead of what could become an increasingly difficult fire season.
Indonesia has experienced devastating wildfire and haze episodes before, including during severe El Niño years. The 2015 crisis, for example, burned millions of hectares and produced widespread regional haze.
This year’s combination of dry conditions, extensive fire activity and cross-border smoke has once again put Indonesia’s wildfire-management strategy under intense scrutiny.
And with investigators now looking beyond the people allegedly starting the fires, the next stage of the crackdown could be considerably bigger.
The 72 arrests may only be the beginning.
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