Fires cast doubts on Riau firms' resolve

The recent surge in forest fires in Riau has raised questions over the commitment of major companies to fight open burning, as satellites revealed that the current number of hot spots exceeds the number that caused last year's choking haze, The Straits Times reported.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) recorded that half of the fires are burning on land managed by pulpwood, palm oil, and logging companies.

"(Some) of the largest fires are on fully developed plantations, despite the fact that many of these companies are committed to eliminating fire in their management practices," said the WRI in a report led by analyst Nigel Sizer.

Indeed, many of these companies have pledged to support the government's fire-fighting efforts and reiterated their zero-burning policies.

A frustrated President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a series of tweets on the Riau burnings: "The burning land and the haze (that follows) are caused by extreme weather as well as residents and companies that burn their land."

The President has demanded that efforts to douse the fires be stepped up and declared he would take over if progress is slow.

The WRI recorded 3,101 hot spots in Sumatra between Feb 20 and March 11, more than the 2,643 found between June 11 and June 30 at the peak of the haze last year.