Politics · Indonesia · 4 hrs ago
Indonesia's New Disaster Chief Pledges Faster Response to Forest Fires
President Prabowo Subianto appointed Kristomei Sianturi to lead Indonesia's disaster agency on Thursday, replacing Suharyanto.
Fires are affecting several parts of Indonesia, and Sianturi says the response must be measured in minutes, not hours, to reduce harm to people.
He plans to review the agency's emergency procedures and strengthen its internal team.
Sianturi says the central and regional governments, military, police and local communities will need to work together because the disaster agency cannot act alone.
Before seeking help from abroad, BNPB will assess resources available in Indonesia.
Sianturi also plans to check national and NASA satellite data to understand the fires' extent and impact, and says protecting lives is the priority.
Kristomei Sianturi, Indonesia’s newly appointed disaster agency chief, pledged to speed up responses to forest and land fires.
He said emergency response should be measured in minutes rather than hours to prevent casualties.
Kristomei said he would review response procedures and consolidate the agency’s internal team before visiting fire-affected areas.
He plans to assess national and regional resources before deciding whether foreign assistance is needed.
He also said he would compare data from Indonesia’s Sipongi system and NASA satellite observations to assess fire extent and impact.
- Who
- Kristomei Sianturi, head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
- What
- He pledged to accelerate responses to forest and land fires and prioritize preventing casualties.
- When
- Thursday, October 15, 2026.
- Where
- He spoke at the State Palace in Jakarta. The fires are affecting several areas of Indonesia.
- Why
- To limit the impact of the fires and prevent further casualties.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
President Prabowo Subianto appointed Kristomei Sianturi as BNPB chief, replacing Suharyanto.
At the State Palace in Jakarta, Kristomei pledged faster fire responses and said he would review procedures and available resources.
- New BNPB chief
- Kristomei Sianturi
- Appointment date
- October 15, 2026
- Previous BNPB chief
- Suharyanto
- Response target
- Minutes rather than hours
- Fire data sources
- Sipongi and NASA satellite observations
- Agency
- National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB)
4 sources
What people are saying
Responsiveness must be measured in minutes, not hours. That is what we will evaluate going forward, so there are no more unnecessary casualties
The most important thing is to ensure there are no casualties. That comes first
I will first check the available data from satellites. There is Sipongi, and then there are NASA’s monitoring results. How extensive are the fires, actually? That can be calculated. And what is their impact?