" Indonesian Court Delivers Blow to South Sumatra Smoke Haze Victims and to Environmental Justice", 4 July 2025

...the Palembang District Court in Sumatra has dismissed a lawsuit filed by dozens of smoke haze victims and a supporting intervention by Greenpeace Indonesia against three pulpwood plantation companies – PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Bumi Andalas Permai, and PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries. The ruling is a setback in the fight for public health and a clean environment in South Sumatra. The ruling is a setback in the fight for public health and a clean environment in South Sumatra...

The plaintiffs are members of the community who are clearly and directly impacted by the smoke haze resulting from peatland fires within the defendants’ concessions...

... The plaintiffs’ legal team has announced they will thoroughly review the full ruling, which has yet to be published, and are considering an appeal. “We believe that the people of South Sumatra have an undeniable right to clean and healthy air, and this must be tirelessly fought for,” said Ipan Widodo, representing the plaintiffs’ legal team. “If the panel of judges allows plantation companies responsible for producing haze to escape accountability, then the devastating impact of smoke haze will continue to haunt the residents of South Sumatra.”...