Prabowo at ASEAN Summit: 104 Companies Under Investigation for Forest Fires, 11 Charged

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has announced that the government is investigating 104 companies over cases of forest and land fires (karhutla).

Prabowo noted that 11 companies have been formally charged, and 17 concessions have been revoked.

He made this statement during his intervention at the plenary session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday (15/11/2026).

"We have revoked 17 concessions from companies. Currently, 26 companies are under investigation. Eleven companies have been charged. Another 23 companies are on the list for pending charges. Overall, 104 companies are being investigated by our police," Prabowo stated in a press release from the Presidential Secretariat on Sunday evening.

He emphasized that the Indonesian government would not tolerate corporations involved in forest fire incidents.

Addressing the leaders of ASEAN member countries, Prabowo remarked that Indonesia has mobilized various efforts to control the forest fires that have persisted for nearly four months.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the effects of the smoke haze crossing national borders have also impacted communities in Malaysia and Singapore.

Prabowo explained that the Indonesian government has deployed 71,000 personnel to combat the forest fire crisis.

This firefighting effort has incurred significant sacrifices, with 16 personnel losing their lives, several others wounded, and two helicopters lost during the firefighting operations.

"We have deployed 71,000 forest firefighting personnel. We lost 16 individuals who died, and many more were injured while extinguishing the flames. We also lost two helicopters," he stated.

Meanwhile, Prabowo stressed the importance of shifting the approach to forest fire management, transitioning from a focus on extinguishing and mitigation to systematic prevention efforts.

The Indonesian government is preparing to establish a new agency and various programs to strengthen future forest fire prevention measures.