Indonesia Suspends Forest Permits of Five Companies After Fires

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry said on Friday that fires broke out in concession forest areas belonging to five companies in West Kalimantan, and the government has suspended their forest management permits (PBPH). According to Sina Finance, the companies are Mahkota Rimba Utama, Hutan Ketapang Industri, Mayawana Persada Mas, Duta Andalan Sukses, and Wana Lestari Jaya, and they have also been ordered to carry out ecological restoration in the affected areas. The five concession areas burned across a combined 2,569 hectares, with Mahkota Rimba's forest area hit the hardest at 1,276 hectares. The ministry had previously penalized another six companies in the Kalimantan region.