REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- Hundreds of students of Riau University staged a peaceful rally outside the Riau gubernatorial office on Sunday urging the government not to discriminate in catching land and forest arsonists.

The students who wore masks to prevent them from inhaling smoke demanded that the President Joko Widodo government should not be selective in handling the cases of land and forest fires which allegedly involve large companies.

They pressed for comprehensive settlement of the cases which allegedly involve giant timber estate and oil palm plantation companies.

"These companies have greatly contributed to the destruction of forests in Riau under the pretext of securing timber estate permits and cultivation rights. As a result, haze disaster continues to happen," the rally's coordinator, Hendri Marhadi, said.

The students also urged local authorities not to turn a blind eye to local residents who are facing the impact of the haze disaster which endangers their lives. "The Riau governor, district heads and mayors (in the province) must soon revoke the permits of the companies found guilty of setting fire to land," he said.

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