Jakarta, Aug. 4 -- The Forestry Ministry, through the Directorate General of Law Enforcement, sealed off 80 hectares of burned land within the Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH) production forest area in South Sumatra.

Head of the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement of the ministry, Hari Novianto, stated on Monday that his side had installed fire monitoring signs at several points in the burned areas located in Karang Dapo, North Musi Rawas District.

"We are analyzing two criminal acts in this case: forest encroachment and forest fires. Field inspections show that the burned land had been cleared, stacked, and ditched. This constitutes encroachment before the fire in the encroached area," he remarked.

Novianto explained that instal...