TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said that forest fires in Sumatera and Kalimantan were allegedly started by oil palm companies, based on findings reported by the ministry's law enforcement team.

"[The forest fires] in West Kalimantan, South Sumatera and Riau were mostly started by oil palm [plantations]," Siti said at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Jakarta on Thursday, September 10, 2015.

However, Siti said that the perpetrator of forest fire in Central Kalimantan was still unknown.

Siti added that two companies were suspected to cause forest fires in South Sumatera and Riau. In addition, there were seven companies allegedly involved in starting forest fires, and several others in Central Kalimantan.

Siti explained that the ministry's law enforcement team will cooperate with the National Police, the Indonesian Military and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency to investigate the forest fires, with helps from regional governments.

Siti revealed that she would hold a meeting with the team on Friday, September 11, 2015 to verify the findings.

"We will analyze [the findings] and classify them. We don't know yet whether they intentionally burn the forest," she said.

Siti said that if the findings indicated misdemeanors, the perpetrators would be required to conduct forest rehabilitation and extend apology publicly. Meanwhile, grave breaches would result in permit revocation and trial.

SINGGIH SOARES