TOKYO, Oct 30 — Indonesia's police said they are investigating 97 domestic and foreign companies, including a subsidiary of a Japanese firm, over their suspected involvement in ongoing forest fires affecting several islands in the country.
Kyodo News reported that National Police detective unit head Asep Safrudin said the Japanese firm, which he identified by the initials PT MTI, along with 21 other foreign companies, was among those under investigation.
During a live-streamed press conference in West Kalimantan Province yesterday, he added that the police have asked the government to revoke the business licences of 23 of the 97 companies, without detailing them, while noting that forest and land fires have repeatedly occurred since earlier this year in concession areas of those companies.
The huge fires in the Indonesian part of Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua since August have caused a deterioration in air quality and forced schools to shift to online learning.
The haze has also affected the health of people on those islands, with many suffering from respiratory problems.
