Students demand stronger enforcement, transparency, and health protection as wildfires continue across Sumatra.
Months of forest and land fires are triggering growing public anger across Sumatra. Demonstrations in several provinces are now pushing authorities for stronger prevention, corporate accountability, healthcare support, and greater transparency as haze continues disrupting everyday life.
Students Protest Across Three Provinces
Student demonstrations were reported in South Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi as protesters demanded stronger action against persistent forest and land fires. In Palembang, dozens reportedly protested outside South Sumatra Police headquarters on October 13, while hundreds of students gathered outside the Riau governor’s office the same day. Students in Jambi also reportedly demonstrated outside the governor’s office on October 12, calling for stronger action against the fires and worsening haze.
Palembang Protest Turns Violent
The Palembang demonstration included demands for accountability from corporations allegedly involved in forest and land fires. Violence was subsequently reported, with police saying two journalists, six students, and one police officer were injured. South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Rony Samtana said two people were arrested and that officers found two sharp weapons in their possession. Earlier, hundreds of students reportedly protested outside the South Sumatra governor’s office on October 5, demanding stronger fire prevention and transparency over wildfire-management spending.
Riau and Jambi Demand Stronger Action
In Riau, protesters called on authorities to take stronger action against those responsible for recurring fires, particularly companies suspected of involvement. In Jambi, students demanded an open audit of a reported Rp30 billion in central government firefighting funds, along with healthcare support for residents affected by haze, faster recovery measures, stronger prevention, and enforcement against companies found to have violated fire regulations. Protesters also called for greater transparency about burned areas within corporate concessions.
Fires Affect Health, Schools, and Transport
Independent monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas estimated that nearly 900,000 hectares had burned across Indonesia by late August 2026, according to the reports. Separately, the Health Ministry reportedly recorded 283,270 acute respiratory infection cases across seven wildfire-affected provinces between August 18 and October 13, including 63,711 cases among children under five. Haze also disrupted air travel, with flight delays and diversions reported, while some schools closed temporarily or switched to online classes because of smoke exposure.
Smoke Reaches Neighboring Countries
The reports said wildfire haze had affected neighboring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines. Prolonged dry conditions associated with El Niño have contributed to the fire risk, while allegations of deliberate burning and reports of fires within palm oil, pulpwood, mining, and other corporate concessions have increased scrutiny of land management practices. Separately, a lawsuit filed in West Kalimantan names President Prabowo Subianto and other government officials, with plaintiffs alleging negligence in preventing and controlling forest and land fires.
The demonstrations across Sumatra show that Indonesia’s wildfire crisis is increasingly becoming a public accountability issue as communities demand stronger prevention, enforcement, healthcare, and transparency. For Indonesians, the fires are affecting health, education, transportation, and daily life, while Singaporeans are also directly connected to the issue because smoke from the fires has crossed national borders and reached Singapore.
Sources: Asia News Network (2026) , The Jakarta Post (2026)
Keywords: Sumatra Wildfire Protests, Indonesia Forest Fires, South Sumatra Haze, Riau Wildfires, Jambi Haze, Indonesia Haze Crisis
