Judges in Pontianak postponed until 21 October the first hearing of a class action over forest fires and haze after the national government did not attend. Plaintiffs include a West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago.
A court in Pontianak adjourned the first hearing of a class action over forest fires and haze on Wednesday because the national government did not appear, Reuters reported. Judges set the next date for 21 October.
Indigenous and civil-society groups in West Kalimantan are suing over what they call government negligence in preventing and handling fires that burn every year. Plaintiffs listed in a court filing are the provincial chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, the West Kalimantan branch of Catholic Youth, Perkumpulan Laman Punyung Indonesia, and an individual, Sisilius Rami.
Plaintiff representative Yakobus said the absence taught people that violating the law was acceptable, Reuters reported. He said officials ignored warning signs and called for the fires to be classed as a national disaster. The presidential office did not immediately comment.
The Straits Times reported that President Prabowo Subianto and the West Kalimantan governor are among 10 defendants, and that none of them were present. Lawyer Glorio Sanen called the case a step to address annual fires he linked to forest destruction and a strong El Nino in 2026. The province's smoke has closed schools and sent people to clinics with respiratory illness, that account said.
Wednesday's step is an adjournment, not a finding of liability.
People Sentiments Negative
- Yakobus said the government's absence taught people that violating the law was acceptable.
- Glorio Sanen called the suit a step to address the annual fire problem.