President Prabowo Subianto Meets Minister Raja Juli to Tackle Forest Fires

President Prabowo Subianto summoned Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni to the presidential palace for a restricted meeting focused on averting forest and land fires (karhutla). The discussion highlighted the imminent arrival of an El Niño event in 2026, predicted to bring earlier and prolonged drought conditions. Both officials emphasized the need for rapid preventive measures to protect public health—preventing acute respiratory infections—and to avoid disruptions to airports, schools and broader economic activities.

Raja Juli noted that the accelerated El Niño could exacerbate fire risk, underscoring the urgency of coordinated action across agencies.