Indonesian NGO identifies 21 Malaysian-linked firms in forest fires behind haze crisis

 

An Indonesian environmental group has identified 21 Malaysian-linked companies allegedly involved in forest and land fires that contributed to the transboundary haze crisis.

The findings recently released by the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) contradicted Putrajaya’s statement on Oct 16 that a Plantation and Commodities Ministry check found no Malaysian plantation companies were involved in the fires.

Citing its "Actor Mapping Analysis: Who Are Behind The Fires?" report, Walhi's forest and plantation campaigner Umi Ma'rufah urged the Malaysian government to investigate the actual situation on the ground rather than relying solely on paper policies or corporate declarations.

Speaking at an online roundtable discussion with Malaysian environmental groups today, she said Walhi's analysis had identified active hotspots and fires within concession areas linked to several Malaysian parent companies.

Malaysiakini is withholding some of the companies named pending formal responses.

Malaysiakini has also contacted the Communications Ministry and the Plantation and Commodities Ministry for comment.

The Communications Ministry subsequently directed the news portal to the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, which Malaysiakini has reached out to and is awaiting a response.

'Origin of fire doesn't matter'

One of the groups named, SD Guthrie, denied that its subsidiaries had caused fires in Indonesia, saying that claims to the contrary were unsupported by credible evidence.

In a statement on Oct 20, it said some companies mentioned in public reports as Guthrie affiliates were not owned, managed, or controlled by the group.

It added that its teams had extinguished 2,411 fires between January and September this year, of which 2,376 occurred on community land.

Guthrie also said its Indonesian subsidiary, Minamas Plantation, spent about RM800,000 a month maintaining 67 firefighting teams comprising 1,006 personnel, supported by drone and infrared monitoring.

Previously, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil rejected allegations against Genting Plantations - another Malaysian company Walhi had identified - stating that fires had spread into its property from the outside before being extinguished.

Umi, however, insisted that concession holders were responsible under Indonesian laws for preventing fires, regardless of who initially started them.

"So once these fires happen there, they (companies) definitely should be held responsible for their (alleged) negligence," she said.

On Oct 5, Greenpeace Indonesia and Pantau Gambut claimed that plantation companies from Malaysia and Singapore were among 20 entities involved in the forest fires.

In a report, it named Malaysian plantation group Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) Group, which has ties to Indonesian entity PT Menteng Jaya Sawit Perdana, as among the 20 companies most closely associated with fires, based on its haze sources dataset between Aug 1 and Oct 1, 2026.

According to the report, the same Indonesian entity was also identified in a 2019 report as having fires on its land.

KLK has since claimed that the fires attributed to its Indonesian subsidiary actually originated beyond its concession area and have all been extinguished, adding that it has ramped up efforts to detect and contain fires.

Taking it to court

Commenting further, Umi revealed Walhi's plans to take all implicated companies to court under Article 71 of Indonesia's Forestry Act 1999, which allows communities to file a citizen lawsuit if their lives are affected by pollution and/or forest damage.

"Walhi's demands are related to the fulfilment of the public’s right to clean air and a healthy environment, compensation for losses caused by the fires, and legal accountability for the parties involved in the forest and land fires, including corporations," she told Malaysiakini.

Last month, a coalition of indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan filed a class-action suit against President Prabowo Subianto and 26 officials, accusing the government of negligence in preventing and responding to recurring forest fires.

The plaintiffs are seeking, among other things, stronger mitigation measures, free healthcare for vulnerable residents, and enforcement action against those responsible.

But since domestic lawsuits only reach local subsidiary permit-holders, Umi said Walhi has engaged the services of an international legal consultant to form a legal opinion on filing a lawsuit in Singapore.

When asked whether a similar action will follow in Malaysia, Walhi campaign coordinator Uli Arta Siagian said, "As far as we can tell from our research, from a legal perspective, it is still easier to bring a lawsuit in Singapore.

"A similar lawsuit can be brought in Malaysia by the Malaysian public, which is easier."

Umi noted that Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 provides an "opportunity" to file legal actions against controlling parent entities and holding companies, but no such law exists in Malaysia at this moment.

Stronger push for action

On Oct 13, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told the Dewan Rakyat that the government had assessed the feasibility of enacting a Transboundary Haze Act.

He added that the biggest stumbling block, however, was gathering sufficient evidence to trace the haze to its source and identify those responsible.

Meanwhile, Umi said that Walhi is preparing to submit its reports on the haze and involved actors to the Malaysian and Singaporean embassies in Indonesia as part of demands that their respective governments probe parent companies based in their countries.

She further lamented that the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution lacked the "pressure or power" to effectively mitigate forest fires or hold non-compliant actors accountable.

Ex-Klang MP Charles Santiago

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago, who was also present, did not hold back in his criticism of the regional bloc, saying that it took a "no action, talk only" stance on the recurring haze issue.

"Malaysia too has taken the same position - totally in denial," he said.

On Oct 19, news portal Politik Indonesia reported that the country's Environment Ministry has taken action against 22 foreign-owned companies, including nine from Malaysia, over forest and land fires.

It said authorities had sealed off burned areas amounting to a total of 6,033.85ha, or approximately 5,587 football fields, between August 26 and Sept 8 across several provinces in Indonesia.

"Properties owned by foreign investors from Malaysia and Singapore account for 95 percent of this total burned area, with 79 percent of the fires concentrated on the island of Kalimantan," it added. - Mkini