Full Breakdown
Indigenous Groups File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Indonesian President Over Forest-Fire Response
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 19, a coalition of indigenous and civil-society organisations in West Kalimantan filed a class-action suit in the Pontianak court against President Prabowo Subianto and other authorities. The filing lists the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, the West Kalimantan branch of Catholic Youth, Perkumpulan Laman Punyung Indonesia and an individual, Sisilius Rami, as plaintiffs. The court has set the first hearing for October 7.
Background & Context
West Kalimantan is experiencing its most severe wild-fire season in eleven years, with officials warning that the blazes could persist until November 2026. Fires in the region recur annually, driven by a mix of land-clearing practices and climatic conditions. A similar lawsuit was lodged in 2015 against then-President Joko Widodo; after an initial district-court victory, the Supreme Court overturned the decision in 2022 following a governmental petition for judicial review.
Official Statements & Responses
The presidential office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Data & Statistics
- Wild-fire intensity: highest recorded in the past eleven years.
- Projected duration: authorities anticipate the fires may continue through November 2026.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This lawsuit was filed in response to the West Kalimantan public's concerns over the government's negligence and failure to prevent and tackle forest and land fires that recur every year,” — Glorio Sanen, the plaintiffs' lawyer