JAKARTA (Jan 15): Indonesia's military-backed forestry task force has threatened legal action against dozens of plantation and mining companies refusing to pay hefty fines for operations in forest areas that authorities deem illegal. Seven mining and 54 palm oil companies have paid or agreed to pay fines of 9.3 trillion rupiah (US$552 million or RM2.2 billion), the task force added. Companies that complied include the palm oil units of conglomerate Salim Group which paid fines equivalent to US$136 million, Best Agro Group, which forked over US$98 million in fines, and US$57 million by a unit of Sampoerna Agro. Astra Agro Lestari also paid a fine of US$34 million, the task force added in the Instagram post. Goodhope and Musim Mas face fines of US$107 million and US$20 million, respectively.

Source: The Edge Markets January 15, 2026 12:15 UTC