KLHK Implements Layered Law Enforcement For Karhutla Perpetrators

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) has implemented layered law enforcement to ensnare the perpetrators who have been proven to have caused forest and land fires (karhutla) in Indonesia.

"We enforce layered laws, both implementing administrative sanctions, including revocation of permits, then filing a lawsuit for compensation for the environment, and enforcing criminal law," said Director General of Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ratio Ridho Sani, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, October 7.

The mechanism for enforcing layered criminal law is not only the imposition of basic crimes with a threat of 10 years in prison and a fine of Rp. 10 billion. In fact, the perpetrators can be subject to 12 years in prison and a fine of Rp. 12 billion if the fire incident has an impact on health.

Rasio said that his party had revoked permits because forest and land fires occurred repeatedly in the company's concession area.

The sanctions are also used to stop the activities of companies that destroy forests and peatlands by burning them.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has spoken with attorneys and also experts to start calculating the amount of environmental losses caused by forest and land fires.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry together with the Attorney General's Office and the National Police have worked together to enforce integrated legal penalties to facilitate the process of imposing sanctions.

"We enforce an integrated legal law to take firm action against the perpetrators," said Rasio.

In addition to the main sentence in the form of imprisonment and fines, the perpetrators are also threatened with additional crimes in the form of confiscation of profits.

Rasio explained that many business activities carried out by companies, including land cleaning, did not provide forest and land fire control equipment for profit.

"We will steal the crime from this advantage. Those are the steps we take in enforcing environmental and forestry laws in Indonesia," said Rasio.

From January 1, 2023 to October 5, 2023, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has written to 220 corporations with indications of hot spots in their concession areas. The highest number of warning letters sent to companies in the West Kalimantan region reached 58 letters, Central Kalimantan as many as 43 letters, East Kalimantan there were 26 letters, and South Sumatra as many as 20 letters.

Not only that, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry also sealed 35 burned land. The sealing activity is a lesson for corporations and communities whose land is burned.

Details of the 35 land that had been sealed were 11 lands in West Kalimantan, 16 lands in East Kalimantan, and 14 lands in South Sumatra. The majority of the land that was sealed moved in the field of coconut plantations