Indonesian police arrest 72 people suspected of starting forest fires

Indonesian police on Sunday arrested 72 people suspected of starting some forest and peatland fires as huge blazes in central and western parts of the country triggered a choking haze.



Indonesia has been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia..



Fires are a regular problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries.



Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming.



The arson suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on the island of Borneo, and four on Sumatra.



The suspects were accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas for plantations at lower cost.



Investigators were still tracing financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the land clearing, signalling the probe could expand beyond those arrested.