Indonesia Mobilizes 1,000 Officers to Prevent Forest Fires in South Sumatra

President Prabowo Subianto ordered the central government to deploy about 1,000 military and police officers alongside local teams for fire-prevention education in South Sumatra. He told responders to act immediately on every hotspot and called for more boreholes, retention ponds and canals in productive peatlands as Indonesia faces a strong El Niño. In Riau, officials reported 16,277.5 hectares burned from January through August 23, with 15,000 hectares brought under control and about 900 hectares remaining; seven active fire sites were spread across four districts. The government said 10,514 hotspots were detected in Riau during the period, 521 confirmed as fire sites.