The country’s neighbours are said to have grown increasingly frustrated by the fires, most of which are deliberately lit by farmers or by timber companies to clear land for cultivation.
Environment minister Rachmat Witoelar said the government had a three-pronged strategy to contain the fires, which included raising the wate level on peat land and confiscation of plantation land responsible for forest fires.
“The strategy is not for dousing fires but to prevent them from happening,” said the minister.
