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.
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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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