Investigation Of Cause After Fires Put Out

Jakarta, June 25 (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the the investigation into the causes of forest fires in Riau Province would be carried out after the fires had been extinguished. "The investigation will be conducted comprehensively because I believe there are natural and human factors involved. The winds are blowing from Sumatra towards Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPN) is now leading the efforts to put the fires out," the President said Monday night. The head of state said that any parties or companies both domestic and foreign ones, which were proven to be negligent would face legal process. "Investigation and law enforcement will be carried out. The law will be enforced as fairly as possible against guilty companies, regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign ones," the President said. Yudhoyono also reminded other provinces or regions whose areas had the potential to get fires to maintain alertness and to take preventive measures as early as possible. "At the same time we want to remind other provinces, like North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, of the need to take preventive measures soon. They do not need to wait," he stressed. The President has earlier ordered the BNPB to lead the efforts to extinguish the forest forest fires. "Because we have not yet achieved our target to put out the forest fires as expected in one week, I decide to step up the efforts to overcome the smoke disaster. The efforts to put out fires are now overall directly coordinated by the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. Regional elements will of course remain," the President told a press conference at his Presidential Office here on Monday. The President said that Riau Province had been declared as a disaster area and efforts to put out the fires were now led by BNPB Head Syamsul Maarif. It was like with the handling of the disaster when Yogyakarta was hit by an earthquake several years ago. "The same disaster handling method was once applied in the past. With the BNPB head leading the handling efforts, the task force on land will be reinforced with military and police personnel and with other forces using existing tools," the President said. He said that he had ordered the mobilization of existing force and budget. Reserve funds would be used for that purpose with high accountability. "In 1x24 hours the BNPB will carry out its task together with the military and police," the President said. Syamsul Maarif said meanwhile that the budget set for the efforts to put out the fire amounted to Rp25 billion. The reserve funds totaled Rp70 billion. In the meantime, the number of hot spots from forest and plantation fires across Sumatra increased from 118 to 227 on Sunday. Of the total, 159 hot spots were detected in Riau Province, a significant increase from 95 hot spots on Sutarday, Warih Budi Lestari of the local meteorological, climatology, and geophysics agency (BMKG), said here on Monday.