August 23, 2026 | 08:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has communicated with neighboring countries on the impact of haze from forest fires, the country's Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed.
Prasetyo stated that communication has been conducted both informally and through formal channels, led by Foreign Minister Sugiono.
"There is informal communication, and, as neighbors, formal communication through the Foreign Minister. That's why we are working as quickly as possible to combat the wildfires," Prasetyo said at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Senayan, Jakarta, on Sunday, August 23, 2026, as quoted from Antara.
According to the government spokesperson, the communication efforts align with the government's goal to expedite the domestic handling of forest fires.
The government, Prasetyo added, strives to bolster forest fire management on the ground through cross-sectoral coordination.
The Indonesian government has also deployed additional equipment—such as water-bombing helicopters and personal protective gears (PPE)—and troops to aid firefighting efforts.
The government has assigned minister-level state officials to focus on combating wildfires across several regions, including Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno.
Army Chief of Staff (KSAD), General Maruli Simanjuntak, has also been tasked to handle wildfires in specific areas, albeit Prasetyo stressed that the aforementioned officials won't be responsible solely in their designated locations.
"This is simply a matter of division to speed up the operations," he said, adding that the government has yet to see the need to establish a new structure.
"As we have seen from the onsite results, our cross-sectoral coordination was quite strong," he said.
Additional personnel from three battalions have also been deployed to strengthen forest fire management.
The government, Prasetyo said, continues to mobilize various elements and resources to contain the wildfires. "We are all working together," Prasetyo said.
President Prabowo Subianto also led a meeting on wildfire management in Kalimantan, including coordination with several Red and White Cabinet ministers in Central Kalimantan on Saturday, August 22.
Prabowo's directives include additional equipment and facilities to support the firefighting efforts, including four water-bombing helicopters, 100 water pumps, 2,000 personal protective equipment (PPE), hoes, drilled wells, and water hoses.
Read: Indonesia Fast-Tracks Foreign Aircraft Use to Combat Forest Fires
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