Smoking gun in Malaysian hands
Malaysian-owned companies source of forest fires
(Jakarta Post) – Plantation companies have often ordered local people to burn forest or peatland near their concessions, hoping that the fire will spread onto their land. “Once the fire takes hold of their concessions, the companies shift the blame onto the local residents as if the fire had accidentally and spread to their land.
Preliminary investigations have singled out eight plantation companies owned by Malaysian investors as the source of forest fires in Riau that have caused Southeast Asia’s worst ever air pollution crisis.
The fires have started a diplomatic war of words between Indonesia, as the source of the problem, and Singapore and Malaysia, as the countries receiving the brunt of the smog.
Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya suggested on Saturday that the eight palm-oil companies were using illegal slash-and-burn methods as the cheapest way to clear land for cultivation.
“The ministry is still gathering more evidence and verification in the field. The fires are, for sure, on their concessions,” said Balthasar, in Riau’s capital Pekanbaru.
“I will immediately meet my Malaysian counterpart to inform him of the findings and seek ways to resolve the current issue and stop recurrence in the future,” he said. The allegations will be followed up by Riau Police.
The companies in question are PT Langgam Inti Hibrida, PT Bumi Reksa Nusa Sejati, PT Tunggal Mitra Plantation, PT Udaya Loh Denawi, PT Adei Plantation, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, PT Multi Gambut Industri, and PT Mustika Agro Lestari.
Tunggal Mitra is a unit of Minamas Plantation, subsidiary of Malaysia-based Sime Darby Plantations, while Adei Plantation is owned by Kepong Berhard. The Jakarta Post’s emails for clarification to these companies have gone unanswered.
The Environment Ministry’s deputy for environmental degradation and climate change, Arief Yuwono, said that under the environment law, the penalties for causing illegal forest fires are a maximum of 10 years in prison and fines of up to 5 billion rupiah (US$504,000).
Six other companies are also involved, but Balthasar refused to name them.
Read more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/23/smoking-gun-malaysian-hands.html
