JAKARTA — A coalition of indigenous and civil-society organizations in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province filed a class-action lawsuit against President Prabowo Subianto and other government authorities on Sept. 19. The legal action addresses the administration's handling of forest fires across the region. The plaintiffs allege negligence and a failure to prevent and manage the annual fires.
The case was officially registered at the Pontianak court, located in West Kalimantan. Court filings show the initial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Glorio Sanen, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said the lawsuit responds 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."
The groups bringing the suit include the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, the West Kalimantan branch of Catholic Youth, and Perkumpulan Laman Punyung Indonesia. An individual, Sisilius Rami, is also named as a plaintiff in the court documents.
The presidential office has not issued an immediate response to requests for comment regarding the class-action lawsuit.
Indonesia is currently experiencing its most intense wildfires in 11 years. The government has issued warnings that these fires could persist until November.
This legal challenge follows a similar lawsuit filed in 2016 by seven Indonesian residents against then-President Joko Widodo, his cabinet ministers, and local governments over their management of forest fires in 2015. The plaintiffs initially secured a victory at the district court level, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision in 2022 after granting the government's petition for judicial review.
