Palembang environmental and social unrest

In Palembang, South Sumatra, tensions rose following a physical clash on October 13, 2026, between the Cipayung Plus student coalition and the Harimau Sumatera Bersatu (HSB) community organization. The confrontation, which occurred near the South Sumatra Regional Police Headquarters, left six people injured, including two journalists, three students, and one police officer. The clash was triggered when students arrived to protest police law enforcement regarding forest and land fires (karhutla) while the HSB group was distributing masks to combat local air pollution.

By October 19, 2026, the region faced additional emergencies, including a residential fire in Jakabaring that destroyed at least 10 houses and affected approximately 20 families. Amidst these incidents, legal expert Hikmahanto Juwana has called on the Indonesian government to declare the ongoing forest and land fires a “national disaster” to facilitate structured international assistance from ASEAN neighbors to combat persistent smoke and fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.