Activists sue forest-fire offenders
The Straits Times, 14 June 2003
Environmentalists target 20 firms that run huge plantations in Riau and local governments which ignore offenders By Robert Go JAKARTA -
Frustrated with the government's failure year after year to control haze-producing fires, Indonesian environmentalists are taking matters into their own hands by filing lawsuits against offenders and local administrations that fail to enforce anti-burning regulations.
Mr Longgena Ginting, head of the environmental advocacy group Walhi, told The Straits Times his office would target as many as 20 private companies that run huge plantations in Riau and have been accused of burning forests to clear land. Environmentalists will also drag into the courtroom local governments which, they said, have largely ignored fires and failed to prosecute known offenders.
Mr Longgena said: 'It is about time we did something about this. The government's track record in stopping fires is very poor. If we let this go, wewill see bigger fires.' Reports have emerged out of Riau and other parts of Indonesia over the past two weeks about more fires in forest and plantation areas. In Riau province alone, Walhi has counted more than 1,300 hot spots or possible fire locations.
With the rainy season not expected until October, Indonesia and its neighbours stand a good chance of being shrouded by unsightly, health-threatening smoke yet again. At a basic level, however, this is a bigger issue than fire prevention - it involves corruption, government inefficacy and general ignorance. On paper, Indonesia has fairly strong anti-burning laws. But Mr Longgena says more than 60 per cent of hot spots identified by experts are located within large plantations cultivating sawit, or palm-oil trees. These companies use fires to clear land as it is the cheapest method of doing so.
And they are not afraid of breaking anti-burning laws as they may have secured the cooperation of local government officials and judges. Walhi's own track record against private companies is astonishingly poor. Over the past 30 years, it has won only one lawsuit against environmental offenders. Mr Longgena said: 'Even when there is clear proof of wrongdoing, the judges often choose to question the evidence and rule for the defendants. There is little logic to many of the court decisions, and there are enough reasons to suspect they have been bribed.' According to Ms Liana Bratasidha, a deputy minister at the Environmental Affairs Ministry, there is also a lack of coordination between the different government agencies. The public, experts say, is also ignorant about the dangers of fires, and even small-scale farmers often burn to prepare their land for planting. Government officials and environmentalists agree there is a crucial need for Indonesia to change the way its environmental policies are formulated.