Firms yet to compensate for Indonesia forest fires

Ten companies ordered to pay $260m after the government filed suits flout court rulings

Fires burning in Pelalawan, Riau province, in 2015. The fires caused 140,000 Indonesians to suffer respiratory ailments after being exposed to the choking haze that travelled across borders and blanketed parts of Singapore and Malaysia.
Fires burning in Pelalawan, Riau province, in 2015. The fires caused 140,000 Indonesians to suffer respiratory ailments after being exposed to the choking haze that travelled across borders and blanketed parts of Singapore and Malaysia. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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None of the companies responsible for plantation and forest fires in Indonesia have paid compensation to the government ordered by the courts.

Ten companies were ordered to pay 2.7 trillion rupiah (S$260 million) after the government filed lawsuits between 2013 and 2018 in connection with the illegal fires.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 16, 2019, with the headline Firms yet to compensate for Indonesia forest fires. Subscribe