Indonesia arrests 72 over forest fires as choking haze spreads to Malaysia

JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities have arrested 72 people suspected of starting forest and peatland fires as massive blazes across central and western Indonesia produced thick haze that spread into neighboring Malaysia.Indonesia has been battling widespread fires fueled by an intensifying El Niño pattern and a prolonged dry season, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency, said the suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on Borneo and four on Sumatra.Most were suspected of deliberately setting fires to clear land for plantations at a lower cost, he said.Investigators are examining financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the burning, potentially widening the investigation beyond those already arrested.“We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground,” Irhamni told a news conference in Jakarta on Sunday. “We will determine who benefited from these activities and who was ultimately behind them.”The suspects could face hefty fines and prison sentences of up to 15 years.Indonesia has long struggled with forest and peatland fires, which are frequently linked to land clearing for agriculture and plantations. The resulting cross-border haze has repeatedly strained relations with neighboring countries.Thousands of hotspots detectedFires blanketed parts of Borneo on Sunday, where Indonesia’s Environment Ministry detected more than 3,700 hotspots.BNPB chief Suharyanto said fire activity had intensified in West, Central and South Kalimantan, where peatlands can allow fires to continue burning underground even after flames at the surface appear to have been extinguished.“Land that appears extinguished on the surface may still contain embers underneath, so sufficient rainfall is crucial to rewet the peat and fully suppress the fires,” Suharyanto said.South Sumatra was also battling extensive fires, with more than 1,700 hotspots detected Sunday.The resulting haze reduced visibility to as little as 10 meters in some areas, according to the Environment Ministry.Authorities resumed cloud-seeding operations over Kalimantan on Sunday and deployed 30 helicopters for water-bombing and aerial patrol operations there, while another 22 helicopters were operating over Sumatra.Nearly 600 schools closed in MalaysiaSmoke from the Indonesian fires has also severely affected neighboring Malaysia, particularly the eastern state of Sarawak.One district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday, while eight others reported unhealthy readings.The deteriorating air quality prompted authorities to close nearly 600 schools in Sarawak, affecting about 200,000 students.