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JAKARTA: A group of approximately 80 protesters gathered outside the venue of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) annual conference, demanding that the certification body and its member companies be held accountable for forest fires and the resulting haze in Indonesia.
The demonstration took place outside Swissotel Jakarta PIK Avenue in North Jakarta, where the Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil 2026 (RT2026) was being held. Protesters carried placards with slogans such as 'Sustainable on paper, burning on land' and 'You burn it, you own it', alongside banners calling for immediate action to support communities affected by the persistent haze.
An activist from the Serikat Pekerja Transport Indonesia (SPTI), a trade union representing workers across land, sea, and air transport sectors, noted that organizers had mobilized around 80 people for the protest. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he called on the Indonesian government to halt the burning and launch investigations into allegations that corporations are clearing forests via fire to establish or expand oil palm plantations.
'As members of the community, we have a responsibility to hold the government accountable and demand an immediate end to the burning and a thorough investigation into companies burning forests to establish and expand oil palm plantations,' the activist stated. He further demanded that palm oil companies belonging to the RSPO take responsibility for the environmental and health consequences triggered by the fires, including forest destruction, harm to wildlife, and respiratory illnesses caused by the smoke.
The protesters claimed that communities in Indonesia and neighboring nations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Thailand, have endured months of smoke. They alleged that companies associated with the RSPO were using fire to expand their plantations. However, RSPO chief executive Joseph D’Cruz countered these claims during his opening keynote on Tuesday. He reported that of the more than 1.9 million hectares affected by fires across Indonesia between January and September, only about 14,500 hectares were within RSPO-certified concessions.
While D’Cruz stated there is currently no data or evidence indicating that any RSPO-certified unit deliberately started fires, he acknowledged that 14,500 hectares was still an unacceptable figure and pledged to investigate concessions showing unusual burning patterns. 'I’ve said this before and I will say it again: anybody who has any evidence of RSPO members deliberately lighting fires should come forward and lodge a complaint. We will investigate thoroughly and vigorously,' D’Cruz added.
Source: KLSE Screener