The Indonesian government faces a class‑action lawsuit accusing it of “gross negligence” in managing wildfires that have enveloped large parts of Southeast Asia in toxic haze, shut schools, and spiked respiratory illnesses.
Filing by indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan names President Prabowo Subianto and the provincial governor among ten defendants. The suit seeks comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation, including coverage of residents’ healthcare costs.
No defendants attended the opening day of the case in Pontianak, prompting judges to adjourn until 21 October. Plaintiffs’ lawyer Glorio Sanen said the absence was regrettable but may have been caused by the haze itself. He described the lawsuit as a step to address the annual fires that are often lit to clear land for oil palm plantations.
Indonesia, the world’s largest palm‑oil producer, has been criticized for insufficient action against slash‑and‑burn clearances, despite pledges to crack down and military deployment. An unusually intense El Niño created drier conditions, intensifying the smog that spread to Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines, prompting school closures in Johor and raising regional anger. The suit follows a dismissed case in South Sumatra and highlights the need for national disaster classification of the haze crisis.
