Police Charge Oil Palm Company Over Sumatra Forest Fire
Police in Sumatra have charged an oil palm company with alleged slash-and-burn practices, in the first criminal case brought this year in connection with raging forest fires that have left much of the island as well as Singapore and parts of Malaysia choking on haze.
The company has been identified as Langgam Inti Hibrida, an joins 40 individuals charged with setting 37 forest fires in Riau province, according to Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Aryo Tedjo, a spokesman for the provincial police.
He said the paperwork for 21 of the suspects had been completed and handed over to prosecutors to apply for a court date. The rest of the suspects are still under investigation.
“We started the investigation into LIH a month ago,” Guntur told CNN Indonesia.
Established in 1998, LIH is based in Riau’s Pelalawan district and is 99.8 percent owned by publicly lited Provident Agro.
The company was also cited earlier this year by district environmental officials for improper waste management.
Source: Jakarta Globe
