TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) reported that 205 individual were involved in the forest and land fires last year.

"Central Kalimantan province and Riau province have the highest number of those involved in forest and peat land fires," said Ananto Setiawan from Kontras Division of Economic and Social Rights Advocates on Friday (8/1).

It also reported 19 perpetrators who are related to forest and peat land fires involving corporates with 14,882 hectares of land affected.

According to 86 cases are already at early investigation stage. However, he said that law enforcement to those involved in forest and peat land fires is still weak.

Ananto also said that the pattern in burning forest and peat among corporates is by letting lands or bushes burned in the dry season and by not extinguish fires when the fire happens and deliberately cut trees instead.

In the meantime, the ways done by individuals was by deliberately opening lands and cutting tress and burning trees in the concession areas without permits. They also let acacia trees dry and burned in the dry season.

ARIEF HIDAYAT