Jakarta: Indigenous and civil society groups in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan have filed a class action against President Prabowo Subianto and other authorities over the government’s handling of recurring forest fires.
The lawsuit was registered at the Pontianak court in West Kalimantan, with the first hearing scheduled for October 7, according to court documents reviewed by Reuters.
The plaintiffs include the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, the local Catholic Youth branch, Perkumpulan Laman Punyung Indonesia and an individual claimant.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Glorio Sanen, said the case was filed over concerns about what the groups describe as government negligence in preventing and responding to forest and land fires that recur in the region.
The presidential office had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
The legal challenge comes as Indonesia faces its most intense wildfire season in 11 years. Fires have affected large areas of Borneo and Sumatra, with dry conditions intensified by a strong El Niño pattern.
Authorities have warned that the fires could continue into October or November as the rainy season arrives later than expected.
The fires have also created a public health and regional environmental problem. Reuters reported that wildfire related respiratory cases across seven affected Indonesian provinces more than doubled to 113336 between September 1 and September 9.
Smoke and haze have also affected air quality in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.
The Indonesian government has expanded its response, deploying more than 50 aircraft for water bombing and cloud seeding, while Japan has provided aircraft to support firefighting efforts. Malaysia has also offered assistance.
