Indonesian students protest government over record haze crisis

Demonstrations in more than half a dozen cities, including Palangkaraya, called for a national emergency as haze from forest fires spreads region‑wide.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:22:57 GMT

Thousands of students across Indonesia have taken to the streets this week to demand a stronger government response to a toxic haze that has blanketed major cities and spread to neighboring ASEAN nations, according to reports from the Independent and the New York Post.

What happened

On Friday, more than 500 students gathered outside the Central Kalimantan Governor’s Office in Palangkaraya, the provincial capital on the island of Borneo, chanting for solutions to the haze. Earlier in the week, protests erupted in at least six Indonesian cities, including Bandung and Jakarta, where students joined ongoing demonstrations over the country’s struggling economy.

What the reports add

The Independent noted that the haze has been caused by forest and peatland fires, many of which are started by slash‑and‑burn agricultural practices, and described the current conditions as the worst on record for the dry season that begins in April. The New York Post echoed this cause and added that the fires are actively burning on Borneo, while also reporting that some demonstrators displayed signs reading “haze emergency” and “If we burn, you burn with us!”. Both outlets reported that the haze has spread beyond Indonesia, prompting health concerns and public backlash in Singapore, Malaysia and other ASEAN members.

More than 333,470 residents have suffered acute respiratory illnesses across the seven provinces affected by the haze since mid‑August, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were ranked among the world’s most polluted major cities this month by IQAir, with Singapore second and Kuala Lumpur third.
Singapore officials have launched legal action against seven Indonesian companies they blame for causing the fires.
Syahdiva Moezbar of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said, “The current haze crisis is a real symptom, a real example of how climate change affects our day‑to‑day lives.”
Jemilah Mahmood, executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, warned, “The lungs of a child in Pontianak or Johor Buruh depend on the health of a peat swamp hundreds of kilometres away.”
Volunteer firefighters near Palangkaraya told the Associated Press they hoped rain would arrive soon to help extinguish the blazes.

What was said

“In Indonesia, we’re so angry,” said Vincent Thomas, a student at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, speaking to the Independent.

“We want the officials responsible to be held accountable,” Thomas added, demanding a national disaster emergency declaration.

Protest placards bore the slogan, “If we burn, you burn with us!” as reported by the New York Post.

How it came about

Indonesia’s haze crisis follows a series of large‑scale forest fires that have burned over 637,000 hectares from January to August, as reported in Felo News’s earlier coverage of the ASEAN Level‑3 haze alert (Indonesia wildfires trigger ASEAN Level‑3 haze alert across Southeast Asia). Student and civil‑society groups have been calling for President Prabowo Subianto to declare a national emergency and to curb slash‑and‑burn practices for months, a demand reiterated in the current protests.

Key facts

More than 500 students protested in Palangkaraya on Friday (independent.co.uk)
Protests spread to at least six Indonesian cities this week (nypost.com)
The haze is linked to forest and peatland fires started by slash‑and‑burn agriculture (independent.co.uk)
Student groups have called for President Prabowo Subianto to declare a national emergency (nypost.com)