Indonesian Police Name 204 Suspect in Forest Fire Cases

Jakarta, (Antara)- The Indonesian Police have so far named a total of 204 people as suspects in forest and plantation fire cases across the country.

"The number of suspects is 204 comprising 195 people involved in individual cases, and nine in cases involving corporations," Senior Commissioner Suharsono, the spokesman of the National Police Headquarters, noted here, Monday.

The national police are currently investigating some 218 cases of forest and plantation fires.

Of the 218 cases, 19 are in the pre-investigation stage, 136 cases involving 94 individuals and 42 corporations are in the investigation stage, and the rest are to be or have been handed over to the attorney offices.

He said that of the total cases, four are being handled by the National Police's Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim), 34 by the South Sumatra Police, 68 by the Riau Police, 18 by the Jambi police, 57 cases by the Central Kalimantan Police, 25 by the West Kalimantan Police, eight by the South Kalimantan Police, and four by the East Kalimantan Police.

The National Police Headquarters had deployed 670 personnel to help fight the forest fires and 70 investigators to examine cases related to them.

National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti recently stated that dealing with the problem would first entail the involvement of the regional governments, the military, and the police.

"An information campaign must be carried out for the public, so that fires can be detected as early as possible and are easier to control. It would take several facilities along with personnel and expenditure to overcome the problem," he stated.(*)