(Dec 5): Indonesian officials plan to take legal action against a dozen companies whose actions they say may have worsened deadly floods and landslides in North Sumatra.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni told Parliament on Thursday that the ministry will investigate 12 companies in connection with the disaster, adding that mismanagement of forests appeared to have contributed to a cyclone-driven catastrophe that has killed more than 800 people in Indonesia.
He said the ministry would also revoke forest-concession permits held by 20 companies managing a combined 750,000 hectares of concessions in Sumatra and elsewhere in the Southeast Asian nation, pending approval from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Antoni did not identify the companies.
Hundreds of people remain missing after more than a week of flooding and landslides in Sumatra, officials have said.
Separately, the Environment Ministry has revoked environmental permits of several companies after satellite-imagery analysis and field inspections in disaster areas revealed signs of illegal logging and land clearing, Indonesia’s Government Communication Agency (GCA) said on Thursday.
See also: Deadly floods’ US$20 bil toll shows Asia’s rising climate risk
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said eight companies would be summoned for questioning starting Dec 8, and that investigations could escalate to criminal prosecution, according to the GCA. The agency added that an initial assessment found evidence that forest areas had been cleared for agricultural use, which it said left them more vulnerable during periods of heavy rainfall.
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