August 3, 2025 | 05:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian police have arrested two suspects linked to a 1.5-hectare wildfire in Riau Province. Meranti Islands Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Aldi Alfa Furoqi said the two suspects were arrested for setting fires in two different locations.
The first location is in Jalan Wanawijaya, Tanjung Medang Village, Rangsang District. A woman identified as HR was arrested after admitting to setting a bush and dried coconut frond on fire on July 24, 2025. "She set the fire during the day and then left the scene," said Aldi in a press release on Sunday, August 3, 2025.
After HR left the location, the fire then spread and burned an area of 0.5 hectares. From the scene, the police confiscated evidence such as a machete, a match, dried coconut fronds, and burnt grass.
The second location is in Tenan Village, Tebing Tinggi Barat District. The suspect, H, allegedly set fire to his land on July 29, 2025, which then spread, burning 1 hectare of land. The fire was first noticed by residents after hearing an explosion sound in the distance.
From the location, the police seized several pieces of evidence, such as two machetes, a match, burnt wood, and several plant seeds. "The suspect was arrested and probed at the Meranti Islands Police Station," he said.
Both suspects are charged under Article 78 Paragraph (4) of Law No. 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry as amended by Law No. 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation, as well as Article 187 or Article 188 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The Riau Regional Police previously unveiled 44 forestry crime cases of burning and illegal logging so far this year, with a total of 2,225 hectares of forest sustained damages.
"We have arrested a total of 46 people. They have similar motives, namely opening the land for oil palm plantations," said Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Herry said his team had handled 17 wildfire cases with 22 suspects. Around 66 hectares of forest land suffered damage from the fire.
In addition to wildfires, the police also handled 27 reports of illegal logging. A total of 24 suspects have been arrested, and the damage sustained covers 2,225 hectares of forest land.
Editor’s Choice: Riau Wildfire Handling: Ministry Seals Palm Oil Plantations, BMKG Runs Weather Modification
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