Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has declared zero tolerance for companies that cause forest and land fires in their land-clearing activities.
"The government takes a clear step that there is no tolerance for deliberate burning of forests for land clearing," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan said in his statement here on Sunday.
This was emphasized by the president to ensure companies uphold responsibility for the land the state has approved to manage.
In addition, according to Gunawan, the firm step is aimed at preventing forest and land fires from occurring.
The minister affirmed that in preventing forest and land fires, the government will adopt a comprehensive approach that combines law enforcement, modern technology support, and sustainable preparedness.
To this end, he continued, President Prabowo will provide modern technology for land clearing to prevent the occurrence of forest and land fires.
"Mr President gives full support for land clearing that utilizes high-tech and environmentally friendly modern equipment," he remarked.
Earlier, President Prabowo chaired a limited meeting in Bogor, West Java, on Friday (August 1), where he instructed his Cabinet ministers to anticipate forest and land fires that often occur during the dry season.
The meeting was attended offline and online by the State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, and Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, among others.
Minister Nurofiq has underlined that the Indonesian government is prioritizing faster handling of forest and land fires to prevent further ecosystem damage.
"Speed and accuracy are crucial. When a wildfire occurs, it must be extinguished immediately to prevent it from developing into a major fire, especially on peatlands," he noted in a statement on Saturday.
An early fire response is deemed crucial to prevent air pollution, ecosystem damage, and the spread of fires.
