KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian environmental non-governmental organisation Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) has claimed that 21 companies linked to business groups with Malaysian ties were involved in forest and land fires in Indonesia between January and September 2026.
The findings are part of a mapping analysis report titled "Who Are Behind the Fires?" released by WALHI's National Executive.
According to the report, satellite data recorded at least 30,927 hotspots across Indonesia in the first nine months of this year, with nearly 50 per cent located within the operating concessions of oil palm plantation and forestry companies.
The regions with the highest concentrations of hotspots included West Kalimantan, with 9,529, and Central Kalimantan, with 7,141. The fires caused the Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) in affected areas to reach unhealthy to hazardous levels.
