'I have the right to breathe': Protests mount as Indonesians get angrier at the fires causing haze

JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians took to the streets earlier this week in demonstrations against how the government has handled the severe forest and peatland fires that have enveloped parts of the country in toxic haze, affecting millions of people.

Citizens, students, and members of environmental groups protested in several cities across the country.

One sign memorably read, “I have the right to breathe. Extinguish the fires immediately!”

The demonstrations occurred on Oct. 20 (Tuesday), which happened to be the second anniversary of Prabowo Subianto’s presidency.

Protestors are asking him not only to declare a national emergency, but also to take measures to avoid the farming practices that have kept the fires burning.

Moreover, they are calling for the companies responsible for the fires to be held accountable, as well as for the cost of living to be lowered, specifically those related to healthcare and education.

On Tuesday, after banners clamouring for climate action were hung on the Selamat Datang Monument in Central Jakarta, six activists from the global environmental group Greenpeace were detained. They were later taken to a medical facility, the police said, and the banners were taken down.

Meanwhile, according to Syahganda Nainggolan, the head of the government’s Communication Agency, President Prabowo is also concerned about the climate crisis and high cost of living. He added that the Greenpeace protest, as free expression, is respected by the government.

State secretary Prasetyo Hadi, meanwhile, claimed that the government is doing its best, noting that ground troops, aircraft and volunteers to put out the fires have been deployed.

According to a Reuters report, more than 1.9 million hectares have been burned in forest and peatland fires in the first nine months of 2026, marking Indonesia's most severe wildfire and haze crisis in years.

Haze conditions, which have been helped along by the season’s Super El Niño phenomenon, have since spread to neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, which have also needed to deal with the problem.

According to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, the haze may spread to 294 cities and regencies in 28 provinces in all.

Moreover, the haze crisis has meant that over 10 million people in Indonesia are exposed to hazardous air quality, putting them at risk of respiratory illnesses. Worryingly, almost half of the reported illnesses linked to the haze were experienced by children under the age of 10.

Speaking to the New York Times, one mother said that her two-year-old son, Khalid, who has a history of respiratory issues, has been staying home.

“It breaks my heart to hear his ‘ngiik ngiik’ breath and coughing,” she said.

She has also closed gaps in their home in order to prevent smoke from coming in.

“We do stay indoors, but how do you keep a child from breathing?” she added. /TISG

Read also: Singapore is ready to use every lever at its disposal to hold those responsible for haze to account