Indonesia has 104 forestry and land-clearing companies under police investigation for suspected involvement in fires, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday at the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines. Prabowo said that the government has revoked 17 corporate concessions and initiated legal proceedings against multiple operators as smoke from the blazes drifted across borders into Malaysia and Singapore, according to detikNews.
The investigation numbers span various stages of legal enforcement, VIVA.co.id reported. Prabowo told regional leaders that 26 companies face active police investigations, 11 have been formally charged, and 23 more are slated for indictment. The crackdown follows nearly four months of persistent forest fires that severely impacted neighboring Southeast Asian countries, drawing scrutiny during the summit meetings covered by the BBC.
“We have revoked 17 concessions from companies,” Prabowo told detikNews. “26 companies are currently under investigation. 11 companies have been charged. 23 other companies are on the list to be charged. Overall, 104 companies are under investigation by our police.”
Suppression operations required mobilizing 71,000 forest firefighting personnel, resulting in large operational losses, Prabowo told detikNews. The four-month campaign cost the lives of 16 firefighters, left numerous others injured, and destroyed two helicopters during active suppression missions.
“We have deployed 71,000 forest firefighters,” Prabowo told VIVA.
“We lost 16 people who died, and many more were injured while putting out the fire. We also lost two helicopters.”
The smoke pollution prompted formal diplomatic attention across the region. Malaysian and Singaporean residents suffered from cross-border haze, leading ministers to discuss sustainable financing and collective responses to transboundary pollution, according to BBC reporting on statements from Malaysian officials.
Indonesia plans to overhaul its strategy by moving away from reactive firefighting toward systematic prevention programs, Prabowo announced on Sunday, November 15, 2026, as reported by VIVA. The government is currently preparing to establish a new regulatory body aimed at stopping forest and land fires before they ignite.
Prabowo offered apologies on behalf of the Indonesian government and people for the distress caused by the haze in Singapore and Malaysia. The administration maintains it fulfilled all regional reporting obligations through the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, the BBC noted.
The summit discussions in Manila also highlighted Indonesia’s broader diplomatic alignment. Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir declared on Saturday, November 14, 2026, that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains the cornerstone of Jakarta’s foreign policy, according to Tribratanews Polda Jabar.
“Indonesia sees ASEAN as the pillar of Indonesia’s foreign policy,” Nasir told Tribratanews Polda Jabar after meetings with his regional counterparts.
“That is what I emphasized to our colleagues there.”
Nasir held bilateral talks with representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste, Laos, Singapore, and Malaysia prior to the main plenary sessions. During these talks, he pointed to growing international engagement with the bloc, noting that seven European countries signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation this year while Turkey formally became an ASEAN development partner.
Malaysia and Singapore experienced the direct impacts of the transboundary haze caused by the nearly four-month blazes, as reported by detikNews and the BBC.
The government has revoked 17 company concessions, placed 26 firms under active police investigation, formally charged 11 operators, and prepared indictments for another 23 businesses, according to VIVA.
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