Indonesia arrests 72 suspected of starting forest fires as haze persists

Indonesian authorities arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and west Indonesia triggered choking haze.Indonesia has been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB.Fires are a regular problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries.Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming, according to Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency.The arson suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on the island of Borneo and four on Sumatra, Irhamni said.He said most of the suspects were accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas for plantations at lower cost. Investigators were still tracing financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the land clearing, signalling the probe could expand beyond those arrested.A man observes the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, Sumatra" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="123144" data-entity-type="location">South Sumatra on Sunday. Photo: AP