"I can assure the government would take a firm action against plantation companies or foreign investors found burning forests or lands," Luhut Panjaitan said.
Jambi (ANTARA News) - A senior minister said here on Tuesday the government would act against companies including foreign ones found to have burned forests or land in the country.

"I can assure the government would take a firm action against plantation companies or foreign investors found burning forests or lands," Coordination Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Luhut Panjaitan said after holding a coordination meeting with a number of ministers under his coordination and institutions concerned at Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin airport.

He said the government would ask agencies concerned including the police to treat any party involved in the forest or land fires equally including foreign companies,

National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti said when asked for confirmation regarding the case that investigation is still continuing in various regions but with regard to the case in Jambi he referred it to the regional police command chief,

Jambi Regional Police Chief Brigadir General Lutfi Lubihanto said the police are now still investigating two plantation companies with investors from Malaysia in connection with forest and land fires in the province namely PT Permata Alam Hijau and PT Asiatic Persada

He said the police are also still investigating a number of domestic companies with four of them already being confirmed as suspects.

The companies that have been declared as suspects are PT Dyera Hutan Lestari and PT ATGA in Tanjung Jabung Timur district, PT Ricky Kurniawan Kartapersada in Muaro Jambi and PT Tebo Alam Lestari in Tebo district.

He said a number of companies are still being investigated including those with foreign investors behind them.

The Jambi police command has named 31 suspects in connection with forest and land fires in the province consisting of 27 individuals and four corporations.

Fires have razed a total of 7,470.9 hectare areas in the province.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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