PONTIANAK, Indonesia: Every few years, residents of Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province contend with devastating wildfires that emit a noxious haze causing illnesses, shuttering schools and stifling economic activity.
Now, they’ve had enough.
Lawyers have filed a class action case claiming “negligence, omission and failure” on the part of the government that has resulted in “a massive public health crisis” in the province on Borneo island.
Their target: President Prabowo Subianto and 26 officials from the national, provincial and local government, as well as police and emergency services.
“We’re not asking for anything excessive. We’re only demanding our basic rights as citizens: Clean air and a healthy environment,” Sisilius Rami told AFP at his home in the haze-blanketed city of Pontianak.
“We … want to breathe fresh air, see clear skies and enjoy the sun,” said the 29-year-old, one of four plaintiffs in the case.
Sisilius said the haze affects every aspect of daily life, disrupting schooling and outdoor activities including some farming. Anyone venturing outside must wear a mask or risk inhaling toxins.
“Children have the right to an education. The community has the right to live healthily. The government should be present to guarantee those rights, not leave people to face the consequences on their own,” he said.
The other plaintiffs are NGOs representing youth, environmental and Indigenous causes in a province with nearly six million inhabitants.
They “are all residents of the province of West Kalimantan affected by the 2026 haze disaster, whose number is so large it would not be practical to file claims individually”, the filing said.
“LIMITED MEANS”
For weeks, communities in West Kalimantan have been fighting fires that have razed vast expanses of land and befouled the air as far away as Malaysia and Singapore.
The government has deployed firefighters assisted by volunteers across affected areas, and used cloud-seeding and water-bombing, with limited success.