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Indonesia Sues Firms Over Deadly Sumatra Floods
16 Jan
Summary
- Government seeks over $200 million in damages from six companies.
- Deforestation is cited as a major cause of last year's deadly floods.
- Environmentalists criticize lawsuits as insufficient government action.
Indonesia's government has initiated multiple lawsuits, demanding over $200 million in damages from six corporations implicated in last year's catastrophic floods across Sumatra. The deluges resulted in over 1,000 fatalities and extensive destruction, with deforestation widely identified as a primary contributing factor.
The Ministry of Environment announced it is seeking 4.8 trillion rupiah ($283.8 million) for alleged damage to over 2,500 hectares. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stated, "We firmly uphold the principle of polluter pays," emphasizing corporate responsibility for ecosystem restoration.
However, environmental advocates, including Greenpeace Indonesia, deem the lawsuits "minimalist." They argue that the government shares responsibility by granting permits for land clearing and that a thorough policy review is necessary to address the root causes of such environmental degradation.
