Indonesia's government has been accused of "gross negligence" in a class action lawsuit over its handling of wildfires that have covered large parts of South-east Asia in toxic haze, closed schools and driven up respiratory illnesses. The case was filed by indigenous and civil society groups on the Indonesian part of Borneo, and it names President Prabowo Subianto and the governor of West Kalimantan among 10 defendants.
None of the defendants attended the opening hearing on Wednesday in Pontianak, the provincial capital of West Kalimantan, and judges adjourned the case until 21 October. The plaintiffs' lawyer, Glorio Sanen, said he understood the absence might be explained by the haze preventing officials from landing in the city. He described the lawsuit as "a step to address the problem" of annual fires. The plaintiffs want comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation measures, including coverage of residents' healthcare costs. Yakobus Kumis, who represents a Dayak community, the indigenous people of Borneo, said the government had ignored warning signs before the fires and called for the crisis to be declared a national disaster. The presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A similar lawsuit filed last year in South Sumatra was dismissed.
Indonesia is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons, with around one million hectares of land burned so far this year. The fires are often lit as a cheap way to clear land for oil palm plantations, and Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, has long been accused of not doing enough to stop this "slash and burn" practice. The government has promised a crackdown and has deployed the military to fight the blazes. This year's crisis has been worsened by an unusually intense El Niño, a weather phenomenon that has brought drier-than-usual conditions.
The smoke has drifted across borders to Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and even the Philippines, angering Indonesia's neighbours. In Singapore, well-known landmarks have been obscured by the haze. In the Malaysian state of Johor, just north of Singapore, authorities ordered schools closed on Thursday and Friday because of worsening air quality.
The situation matters because it combines a public health emergency with questions of legal accountability and regional relations. Transboundary haze has recurred for years, and the lawsuit tests whether courts can compel authorities to act, though the earlier dismissal in South Sumatra shows the outcome is far from certain.