REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN -- Police have so far questioned 253 parties accused of burning forests and lands, causing haze in various regions in Indonesia.

"The legal process (into the role) of the 253 parties, including individuals and corporations, is still ongoing," national police chief General Badrodin Haiti said at a regional police's roll call in connection with its readiness for December regional elections, at the Mobile Brigade headquarters here on Wednesday.

He said he had found out which parties were allegedly the perpetrators of forest and land fires.

Based on investigations, the police have been able to name suspects behind the disaster that has elicited international concern.

"Some have been named suspects. In some cases, the judicial process has been completed and some others are still at the first stage," he said.

The parties have been charged with allegedly violating Law Number 22 of 2009 on environment management and protection.

Asked about their names being made public, the police chief said he was still weighing the pros and cons of it because economic and social issues were involved.

Badrodin said besides enforcing the law, the government had also made maximum efforts to extinguish the fires, including through water bombing and preventing people from burning forests as well as by building canals to stop the fires in peat lands.

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