Indonesia will revoke land rights covering more than 42,000 hectares from eight companies accused of involvement in the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade, the government has said, in its toughest response yet to a crisis that has already left more than 400,000 people suffering respiratory infections.
Agrarian Affairs Minister Nusron Wahid said on Monday that the land use permits — known as HGU — of three companies would be fully revoked after more than half of their concessions burned amid repeated outbreaks and what he described as inadequate prevention measures.
A fourth company’s rights will be partly revoked, while another will not be allowed to renew its already expired permit. Three further companies holding plantation permits will be refused land use rights after fires broke out on their concessions, Nusron said.
Three more firms, with concessions covering more than 11,000 hectares in total, remain under review.
Nusron said some of the 11 companies were linked through their beneficial ownership to investors from South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, though he did not elaborate. The government did not disclose what types of plantation the affected companies held.
Indonesia has been battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with large swathes of land scorched, mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. Fire and haze had caused more than 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infections across seven provinces as of 2 November, according to Health Ministry data.
The haze has also drifted across borders. Singapore has summoned representatives of Singapore-listed companies suspected of having fires on their Indonesian plantations after a spike in pollution from the smoke.
The crackdown follows international help for the firefighting effort. Australia said last week it would send waterbombing aircraft to help Indonesia tackle the blazes, which have burned through forests and plantations during an unusually severe dry season.
Sources: Reuters — “Indonesia to revoke land rights of eight firms for alleged involvement in wildfires” (https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/indonesia-revoke-land-rights-eight-firms-alleged-involvement-wildfires-2026-11-10/)
