The Central Kalimantan police have detained and named 95 people as suspects for setting fires in forest and plantation areas between January and October 3, 2014.
They will be charged under the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) or the Regional Regulation No. 5/2003, which carries a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment, Chief of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Police Brigadier General Bambang Hermanu remarked here on Monday.
“Whoever sets fire in forest or plantation areas will be sanctioned,” he emphasized.
Last week, the local police detained 24 farmers for intentionally burning bushes to clear land for agricultural purposes.
“So far, we have not found any evidence of a plantation company involved in deliberate forest burning activities,” he affirmed.
For the last two months, haze has shrouded Central Kalimantan resulting in delayed flight schedules and an increase in the number of cases of acute respiratory infections, including in the district of East Kotawaringin (Kotim) in the province.
“During July-September, more than 2.5 thousand residents of Kotim in Central Kalimantan suffered from respiratory infections due to the haze,” Subagyo, an officer at the Kotim health office, stated on Oct 2, 2014, adding that most of the patients were infants.
In 2013, some 8,853 people in Kotim were diagnosed with respiratory problems, which increased to 9,217 from January to September this year, Subagyo pointed out.
The health office received this data from the 20 community health centers (Puskesmas) located in 17 sub-districts in Kotim.
Face masks have been sent to those Puskesmas to be distributed to the local residents.
Most locals have been wearing face masks to avoid inhaling the haze. Many have also started using helmet visors as the thick haze can trigger eye irritation.
On September 30, thick haze engulfed the area and reduced the visibility in Kotawaringin Timur district to just 30 meters.
