Jakarta. Indonesian police are investigating 97 companies over forest and land fires, including 22 with foreign investment, as authorities step up enforcement against businesses suspected of contributing to fires that have burned nearly 30,000 hectares.

National Police Criminal Investigation Agency chief Asep Safrudin announced the figures on Thursday during a law enforcement briefing in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

The 22 foreign-invested companies include nine linked to Singapore, eight to Malaysia, two to the United Kingdom, and one each to China, Japan, and South Korea. Police did not disclose their full names, identifying them only by initials.

Of the 97 companies under investigation, 20 have been named suspects. Four have foreign investment and are identified by police as HKI, RKA, API, and AI. They are linked to Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea, Asep said. The other 16 corporate suspects are domestically funded companies.

Police have recorded 104 reports involving corporate cases, covering 29,168.78 hectares of burned land. Separately, investigators have named 245 individuals as suspects in 287 cases involving approximately 5,859 hectares, bringing the total number of individual and corporate suspects to 265.

“The number of corporate suspects may continue to grow as investigations proceed." Asep said, adding that police would pursue cases involving fires caused intentionally or through negligence.

Investigators have recommended revoking the business permits of 23 companies. The recommendations take into account factors including repeated fires, fires originating within concession areas, and inadequate firefighting equipment and facilities.

Singapore Summons Top Palm Oil Execs

Singapore has expanded its investigation into haze pollution linked to fires in Indonesia, requesting documents from 10 locally registered companies and summoning senior executives to meet government ministers as authorities seek to establish responsibility for the regional environmental crisis.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) issued notices requiring the companies to provide information about their land concessions in Indonesia, fire prevention and firefighting measures, and relationships with other relevant businesses, according to a statement released on Friday.

All 10 companies operate in the palm oil or forestry sectors. They include Wilmar International, First Resources, Golden Agri-Resources, Bumitama Agri, Indofood Agri Resources, Kencana Agri, TSH Resources, Sinar Mas Group and Asia Pulp & Paper, including its Chinese operations.

On Wednesday, senior executives from the companies met Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Senior Minister K. Shanmugam and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

The executives included leaders from Wilmar, First Resources, Golden Agri-Resources, Bumitama Agri, Indofood Agri Resources and other major plantation and forestry businesses.

Following the meeting, the companies pledged to cooperate fully with Singapore's investigation, according to the ministers.

Shanmugam said the government expected full cooperation and would pursue all available legal and regulatory measures to establish responsibility for the haze.

He stressed that the investigation was not intended to find scapegoats, but to hold accountable those found responsible for pollution.

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