REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- The Riau Provincial Police have so far named 48 suspects in land fires which have led to thick haze blanketing the province.
Two of the suspects were arrested in the past three days, spokesman for the Riau Provincial Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Guntur Aryo Tejo said here on Sunday.
"The two suspects are being questioned at the Indragiri Hilir district police station," he said.
The Indragiri Hilir District Police are also investigating two companies suspected of involvement in land fires, he said adding the two companies are PT Sumatera Riang Lestari and PT Bina Duta Laksana.
"The two companies are being investigated and have not been named suspects," he said.
Most of the 48 suspects were caught red handed during patrol operations conducted from January to September 2015, he said.
Thick haze has blanketed several parts of Riau province since the past few months.
It was reported on Friday that a thick haze was hindering water bombing efforts, aimed at putting out forest and land fires in Riau province.
The head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, Edwar Sanger, told Antara that haze remained very thick from morning to afternoon, allowing a visibility of only around 600 meters and, thus, making it impossible for helicopters to carry out water bombing operations.
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