REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- Riau province's police have named 29 people as suspects for their role in starting a forest fire in the province in June. The forest fire is widely believed to be a strategy to clear land for plantation.

"Among the suspects are field workers and owners of plantations," said Riau province's Chief of Police Brigjen, Condro Kirono, in Pekanbaru on Monday.

Some suspects are still facing a trial, while others are awaiting further investigation, according to police.

All the suspects are alleged to have violated articles 46, 48, and 49 of Plantation Regulation and articles 117,118 and 119 of Environmental Regulation and face imprisonment of three to ten years.

Last June, most of Riau province was enveloped in a thick haze of smoke after a forest fire. This forced thousands of people to leave the area. Even neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia filed complaints with Indonesia as haze from the burning forest blanketed their territories and polluted the air

Earlier, the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) had asked the government to take the strictest possible action against those who set off forest and land fires.

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