Indonesia’s President Vows to Punish Firms Behind Haze Crisis

As toxic smoke from massive forest and land fires spreads across Indonesia and drifts into neighboring Malaysia, President Prabowo Subianto has promised strict legal action against the companies responsible. The pledge revives a long-standing challenge: can Jakarta finally enforce its laws and end the annual burning crisis? “We will go after them if they are proven guilty. We will penalise them according to the law,” Prabowo told reporters on Saturday in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. He flew first to the region to assess the damage and meet with local officials. The fires, often set illegally to clear land for agriculture, have blanketed parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze for weeks.