Indonesia: Riau haze forces hundreds of people to evacuate

Antara 25 Jun 13;

Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - Haze from forest fire in Riau province has forced around 276 households in Rokan Hilir district to evacuate, Riau police spokesman Senior Commissioner Sofyan said here on Tuesday.

He said they were forced to evacuate during the past few days because the haze has affected them and the fire has almost reached their residential areas.

"The 276 householders are being evacuated since last several days," Sofyan said.

The fire was triggered by a land owner along with four other persons who burned 60 hectares of the peat land in Rokan Hilir District that caused emergency condition as thick smog covers the area.

Police informed the land owner, named Hotman Burpa, has ordered four persons; Katiman, Suhadi, Riza and Bobi, to burn the 60 hectares land.

"We have detained the five arsonists and are currently being interrogated in Rokan Hilir Resort Police," said Sofyan.

Police said the fire started when the land owner burned the 60 hectares of land and spread to other land.

The fire spread quickly after wind blew heavily and burned more than 400 hectares of land.

Resident near the location forced to take evacuation effort as the fire come near to the residences and also generate thick smog.

According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) the peat land fire has occurred in Rokan Hilir District since last week.

"The fire has caused several people to evacuate and the total persons who conduct evacuation effort keep increasing," Sofyan said.

The incident has also interfered flight schedule in Sultan Kasim Airport of Pekanbaru, Riau Province as the thick smog decreasing visibility range.

Previously on Monday the visibility range in the airport at 06.00 am local time reached 2,000 meters and decreasing to 1,200 meters at 06.30 am.

The airport officer announced visibility range was not safe for the flight as smog covers the area and decreasing the visibility to 700 to 800 meters at 07.00 to 08.00 am local time.

(B019/O001)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Take firm action against forest fire perpetrators
Antara 25 Jun 13;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) has asked the government to take the firmest possible action against forest and land fires perpetrators.

"Police and related ministries should be firm against the environmental crime perpetrators," said the forum`s National Manager of Policy and Legal Defense Executive Muhnur Satyahaprabu in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Munhur made the statement in responding the forest fire in Riau province since the beginning of June which has caused smog that travels to Singapore and part of Malaysia.

According to Munhur the forest arsonists must be brought to justice not only the individual but also the landowner corporations.

Based on Walhi`s data obtained from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) satellite show that in 2006 there were as many as 146 264 hotspots, 37,909 hotspots in 2007, 30,616 hotspots in 2008, 29.463 hotspots in 2009, 9.898 hotspots in 2010, and 11,379 hotspots in 2011.

Whereas up to August 2012 Walhi recorded that there are as many as 5,627 spots scattered in several provinces in Indonesia.

Hotspots distribution area are almost the similar every year which located in the province of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Borneo and several other provinces in Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Walhi also noted that forest fires in Indonesia cannot be separated from the pattern of land use and forest policy in Indonesia, since the Production Forest Concessions (HPH) regime started and shifted to plantation, industrial forest permits (HTI) and mining sector, Indonesia`s tropical rain forests are degraded into degraded land and secondary forest.

The regularly occurred forest fires in the last one decade was not only because of the changes in ecological chain, but is also influenced by the intentional large-scale plantation businesses in land clearing.

The rising hotspot number also occurred due to the negligence of Pulp and Paper industry in running their production and environmental management.

(A050/O001)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik