Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Affirms No Conflict of Interest in Handling Forest Fire Cases

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Assistant Deputy for Coordination of Strength, Capability, and Defense Cooperation at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Brigadier General TNI (Mar) Kresno Pratowo, emphasized that the government will strengthen law enforcement against anyone proven to have burned forests and land.

He stated that there is no conflict of interest in handling forest fire cases.

"There is no calculation regarding transparency or any conflict of interest; it simply does not exist. We are truly pushing for law enforcement," Kresno said during a Redaction Discussion on Forest Fires at Amanaia Satrio, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (21/10/2026).

Kresno mentioned that this law enforcement aligns with the orders from President Prabowo Subianto, who requested that those responsible for land burning face legal consequences.

"The President conveyed that we should strike hard, arrest, and process them legally; now it's time to prove it together," he explained.

He expressed a firm stance to tackle the issues surrounding forest fire cases without any personal interests.

"Honestly, I have no personal interest in this; we agree that we will tackle this issue. We are confident that if these offenders are held accountable, next year Insyaallah, we will see a decrease, or perhaps even no more fires," he stated.

Kresno reported that three areas remain affected by forest fires, namely South Sumatra, Jambi, and Central Kalimantan, due to limited water sources.

Previously, the Head of Subdirectorate III of the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police, Kombes Pol Pipit Subiyanto, stated that the nine corporate suspects are being investigated based on police reports handled by regional police in Kalimantan.

In total, police are addressing 98 police reports related to suspected criminal acts of forest fires involving corporations.

"Currently, there are nine suspects confirmed. Among them, seven are from West Kalimantan, one from Central Kalimantan, and one from South Kalimantan," Pipit revealed at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs in Jakarta on Wednesday (14/10/2026).

The reports are being managed by 10 regional police and the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police, covering a total burned area of 25,600.26 hectares.