Sejak medio April 2023, kabut asap akibat Karhutla telah menyelimuti kota Dumai dan Bengkalis. Hingga sepekan ini, karhutla sedikitnya telah menghanguskan lahan gambut berkedalaman 4 meter seluas lebih kurang 60 hektar, demikian data dari BPBD Provinsi Riau. Lokasi kebakaran terjadi di Desa Pelintung, Dumai, dan Desa Tanjung Leban, Kabupaten Bengkalis.

PEKANBARU, 3 JUNI 2021 – Laporan investigasi terkini diterbitkan koalisi Eyes on the Forest hari ini yang mengungkapkan hanya 14% (0,8 juta hektar) kebun sawit di Provinsi Riau –penghasil produk sawit terbesar di Indonesia—yang bisa dianggap legal. EoF menyarankan para pembeli produk sawit bahwa 86% kebun sawit Riau harus dianggap ilegal, hingga verifikasi lapangan rinci bisa membuktikan hal sebaliknya.

Pekanbaru, 1 May 2021--Eyes on the Forest (EoF) coalition condemns environmental permit granted to Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) group to expand pulp production capacity of Riau Complex PT RAPP and urged the Government for banning natural forest clearing by the company in their attempt to obtain mixed tropical hardwood (MTH) for their operation.

Pekanbaru, 30 April 2021--Koalisi Eyes on the Forest (EoF) mengecam keras pemberian izin lingkungan untuk kegiatan pengembangan kapasitas Riau Komplek PT RAPP milik Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) dan meminta Pemerintah melarang pembukaan hutan alam oleh perusahaan demi mendapatkan kayu keras campuran (mixed tropical hardwood) untuk operasinya.

Pandemi covid belum usai, masyarakat Riau kembali dihadapkan dengan ancaman kebakaran hutan dan lahan. Berdasarkan data dari BPBD Provinsi Riau, sejak Januari 2021 hingga kini luas lahan yang terbakar mencapai lebih kurang 248 hektar. Dilansir dari harian detik (24/2), Kepala Pelaksana BPBD, Riau Edwar Sanger, mengatakan karhutla sudah melanda 8 daerah di Riau. Luas lahan terbakar bervariasi, dari 4 sampai 82 hektar.

In July 2020, Jikalahari NGOs network was informed by locals of Desa Dayun, Siak District, that Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) supplier, PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) sector Pelalawan, drained peat canal, conducted land clearing and replant Acacia mangium in the formerly burned area of 2015 and 2019 forest fires.

Mewabahnya virus Covid-19 ternyata tidak menyurutkan aktivitas penebangan hutan secara ilegal. Juni 2020, temuan Jikalahari di Desa Pulau Padang, Kabupaten Kuantan Singingi, mengindikasikan adanya rencana penebangan hutan alam seluas 1.565 hektar yang akan dilakukan oleh PT Nusa Prima Manunggal (NPM), anak perusahaan Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL).

Pekanbaru, 26 Agustus 2020—Di tengah Covid-19, APRIL Grup menebang hutan, merusak gambut, membuka kanal di areal bekas terbakar 2016 di Kabupaten Siak, bukan hanya itu, APRIL Grup juga hendak menebang hutan alam seluas 1.565 hektar di Kabupaten Kuansing.

Memasuki bulan bersejarah bagi negara Indonesia dan provinsi Riau, puluhan titik panas muncul lagi, di tengah kurangnya intensitas hujan. Dilansir dari Riau Mandiri, Senin (10/8), BMKG mencatat ada 88 titik panas yang tersebar di seluruh kabupaten dan kota di Riau. Sedangkan sehari sebelumnya, yakni pada Minggu (9/8/2020), terdeteksi 38 titik panas.

State Administrative Court Jakarta rejected Thursday lawsuit lodged by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), a major supplier of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), who demanded the court to annul suspension of their ten-year general workplan which banned their operation.

Thirty Indonesian NGOs and coalitions have sent a letter to 20 banks in China and Europe last week in responding to “the current situation of PT RAPP cancellation, continuing PT RAPP (APRIL main supplier) poor adherence to Indonesia regulation regarding peat protection and management,” Jikalahari said on his website.

PEKANBARU – Joko Widodo’s Administration have committed to reduce greenhouse gas emission by --one among efforts-- protecting peatlands as a preventive action to avoid repetitive massive forest and land fires. However, this effort is snubbed by Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) through its main supplier and subsidiary, PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), as the company disregarded the second Warning Letter issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry number S.1254/MENLHK-SETJEN/ROUM/HPL.1/10/2017 dated 6 October 2017.

Pemerintahan Joko Widodo telah berkomitmen untuk mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca, salah satunya melalui perlindungan lahan gambut sebagai upaya mencegah kebakaran hutan secara masif berulang. Namun, tampaknya hal ini tidak diindahkan oleh Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) melalui PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP).

APRIL stopped Government investigation of legally questionable new peat drainage in Sumatra

APRIL menghalangi investigasi Pemerintah terkait kegiatan pembukaan lahan gambut baru di Sumatera. --Siaran Pers EoF

Riau province is raged by forest and land fires where EoF analyzed based on NASA Firms Eosdis Data that total 426 fires hostspots detected during June 2015.

Commitment on Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) 2.0 that recently launched by Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) on 3 June 2015 is not a blank cheque nor a public relation stunt as usual to business world and public in whole.

PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), major concession of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), was found clearing natural forest in its concession of district/sector Ukui, Tesso Nilo landscape, Riau province.

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) likely broke its promise not to clear natural forest despite it has pledged not to do so in its sustainable forest management policy, a satellite images analysis detected.

On the first anniversary of APRIL’s “Sustainable Forest Management Policy”, Eyes on the Forest, Gapeta Borneo and RPHK call on APRIL to stop natural forest clearance and peat canal development immediately.

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) allegedly violated its self-declared Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) commitment as it continued natural forest clearance in Bagan Melibur village of Padang Island, Riau province, an environmental group said.

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), a Singapore-based giant pulp and one of leading actors in Indonesia deforestation, has allegedly violated its self-declared Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP) commitment in two areas: North Kalimantan and Riau. The violations put more doubts on its SFMP which was just announced on 28 January 2014.

The result of corruption trial of former governor of Riau Rusli Zainal (RZ) which was held on Wednesday (12/3) at Pekanbaru State Court sentenced RZ to 14 years in prison and a liability to pay a fine of Rp 1 billion subsidiary of 6 months imprisonment after being pleaded guilty for corruption on forestry sector and National Games (PON) 2012, media reported.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) issued an advisory to buyers and investors of Royal Golden Eagle/Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (RGE/APRIL) following announcement by APRIL last week to apply its Sustainable Forest Management Policy.

Jikalahari and Walhi (Friends of the Earth) Riau suspect the launch of Sustainable Forest Management Policy by APRIL today (Tuesday, 28 January 2014) in Jakarta, as a trick to destroy the remaining natural forest embedded with their illegal and problematic permits in Riau province.

Approximately 200 hundred residents of four villages in Merbau sub-district, Meranti Islands District, Riau, flocked in Lukit Village. It was Saturday, 12 October 2013, at 8 a.m, when hundreds of residents walked through the footpath surrounded by sago and rubber farm through the thatch heading to Tanjung Gambar, Lukit Village of Pulau Padang (island), Meranti district of Riau province.

The first trial on corruption cases involving Riau Governor Rusli Zainal who allegedly paid bribe in PON 2012 national games scandal and accepted bribery in issuing forest logging permits for pulp and paper timber suppliers held on last Wednesday (6/11) in Pekanbaru Corruption Court.

The Ministry for Environment reiterated that probe on Riau’s timber and palm oil companies --who named suspects due to allegedly setting forest and land fires in June-- would be proceeded including to prosecute them with money laundry verdict, an official said.

At least four pulpwood suppliers and three palm oil plantations named suspects for allegations on Riau wildfires in June-July 2013. Some of these suspected companies are timber suppliers to Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resource International Limited (APRIL), a newspaper report said this week.

Giant pulp and paper company, Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), prepared a new restoration project to work on the heavily degraded peatlands in Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, Sumatra. Last month Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) banned the company to associate the giant’s products with the certification agency.

A monitoring on corruption trial by a university in Jakarta concluded yesterday that there was allegedly discrimination by judges of corruption court in taking a punishment to a defendant on forestry graft case in Riau province.

As APRIL has been officially banned from using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) trademark, leading environmental groups WWF, Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) have called on other forest industry certification schemes to cut ties with the giant deforester.

Greenpeace, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and WWF have claimed that the pulp and paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) is dodging an independent enquiry into its deforestation practices in Indonesia by withdrawing from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Sumatra’s Riau province is suffering Indonesia’s worst fire season in recent years with serious smoke choking the region and neighboring Singapore and southern Malaysia. Eyes on the Forest has been tracking forest and land cover change and those who drive it in Riau since the early 1990s.

At least 6772 fires hotspots were detected accumulatively in Riau Province in period of 1-23 June 2013, based on MODIS Fires satellite monitoring that analyzed by Eyes on the Forest this week.

Riau Governor Rusli Zainal finally was detained by Corruption Eradicatio Commission (KPK) yesterday for allegedly “abusing power to make money for himself and other people or a corporation” by legalizing five-yearly logging plans to some timber suppliers in Pelalawan and Siak Districts between 2001 – 2007, KPK press release said.

Despite a restoration program organized by a company affiliated to pulp giant in Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, launched and endorsed by the Ministry of Forestry, environmentalists criticized it as a manuoevre by wo-faced company which merely seek benefit from credit carbon scheme.

In attempt to mitigate the corporates’ forest crimes, some activists demand Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to immediately seize the company assets of the listed names alleged for corporate crimes involvement.

Students association in Pelalawan district where Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) office and mill located protested the company’s main supplier PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) over ignorance in providing employment for locals as well as intransparency in handling industrial waste management.

Former Riau Forestry Service and Kampar District Head, Burhanuddin Husein was punished two and a half year jail by Corruption Criminal Court in Pekanbaru on Wednesday after judges decided he was found guilty in committing graft collectively.

A local official in Riau Province this week accused a timber supplier affiliated to Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), obtaining a document of environmental impact analysis (Amdal) which could be fake as it was registered in the name of another company.

Recent trials of forestry corruption with defendant Burhanuddin Husin, former Riau Forestry Service Head at Pekanbaru’s Corruption Crime Court presented witnesses telling irregularities found in ground checking.

Non governmental organizations and civil society group network to rescue natural forest in Riau, Jikalahari, denounced Pelalawan District Head for ignoring community’s proposal to manage communal forest in Kampar Peninsula and critized his favoritism to pulp giant’s “greenwashing” project.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is urged to nab more corruptors, including the untouchables from officials and persons from companies, civil society activists said last week.

A recent observation by Eyes on the Forest coalition had confirmed that PT Sumatera Riang Lestari in block Rupat still clearcut protected species, Ramin tree (Gonystylus sp), similar to the thorough investigation in 2010.

Civil society groups in Riau Province condemned violence shown by PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), a subsidiary and timber supplier of Asian Pacific Resource International Limited (APRIL) who violently dispersed Gunung Sahilan community’s land dispute protest on 6 March by hitting motorbikes and assaulted the locals.

Police planned to disperse residents of Padang island whom staged rallies and had been staying near House of Representatives’ compound in Jakarta for one month as eight hospitalized and one treated in a mental hospital.

The Indonesian Minister of Forestry suspended temporarily logging operation held by Asian Pacific Resources International Limited’s (APRIL’s) PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) Tuesday in a concession situated in outer island Pulau Padang, Riau province.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)-- Residents of Pulau Padang of Meranti District urged Riau Legislative Council (DPRD) to help halt operation of PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) in the island for land dispute and environmental concerns.

The concession area of PT RAPP Blok Logas Selatan (Sei Tasem) is located in the Bukit Rimbang – Bukit Baling forest block that has hilly and highly potential to contain High Conservation Value as indicated in this region including Protected Areas by the Indonesian Government and Riau Province Government.

Oleh karena itu upaya penulisan studi ini dilakukan dengan mencoba menggunakan dokumen data lapangan maupun dokumen resmi Kementerian Kehutanan yang telah terkumpul sampai tahun 2008 khususnya dalam menganalisa perbandingan kebutuhan bahan baku industry pulp secara umum dan PT RAPP dan PT IKPP secara khusus. Meskipun demikian data ijin RKT HTI tahun 2009 di Propinsi Riau bisa diperoleh tim studi.

50% or 8,8 millions M3 of PT IKPP and PT RAPP raw material supplies had been extracted from natural forests and the rest 8.9 millions M3 per year are from Plantation Forests. With this lack of raw material supplies from production forest, the remaining natural forests in Riau are threatened as the potential target of raw material supplier.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)— At least 150 residents of Teluk Meranti village along with NGO activists and informal leaders flocked to Pelalawan District Office and Local Legislative Council (DPRD) compound in Pangkalan Kerinci town Tuesday to protest pulpwood plantation operation by APRIL in Kampar Peninsula forest block, Riau Province.

Walhi Riau, Scale Up, JIKALAHARI, Greenpeace and Forum Komunikasi Pemuka Masyarakat Riau (FKPMR/Riau Community Leaders Forum) ) paid condolences and strongly denounced the violent incident claiming one casualty and another one was hospitalized with heavy wounded in Kenegerian Pucuk Rantau village, Kuantan Singingi district, Riau province on Tuesday.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)—Minister of Forestry visited a pulpwood plantation concession in peat Kampar Peninsula forest block, Riau province, in an attempt to solve conflict between local community and PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), an associated company to Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).

PEKANBARU (EoF News)—Riau Province Legislative Council (DPRD) decided to establish a special committee to verify controversy brought by pulpwood development permit of PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), an associated company to Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).

PEKANBARU (EoF News)—The Minister of Forestry suspends natural forest clearing operation that conducted by PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP), an associated company to Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).

PEKANBARU (EoF News)--- An industrial timber plantation (HTI) permit issued by the Minister of Forestry sparked controversy as Riau Forestry Service insisted that the license have administrative and land use problems. The Minister of Forestry and Riau Governor defend PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper’s stance that was criticized and protested by Greenpeace and local environmental organizations.

PEKANBARU (EoF News) –- Ongoing natural forest clearing in Riau province have escalated conflict between communities and pulp company as environmentalists groups vowed to support the villagers’ rights.

Bogor, 31 August 2009. Despite support from Forestry Minister, the efforts of Teluk Binjai Village community are threatened by the expansion plan of Industrial Timber Plantation of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP); therefore a number of local and national NGOs urge the government to revoke definitive permit of the plantation.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)-- Local forestry service head suggested PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP or Riaupulp) to suspend its pulp production temporarily for 2-3 years to enable to fulfill the raw material supply exclusively from its pulpwood plantations.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)— Students and residents allied in a group staged rally here today (19/11/2008) to urge the Riau Prosecutors Office to bring illegal logging and corruption cases to the court amid the acknowledgment uttered by the law enforcer body last week that they give up to do so.

PEKANBARU (EoF News) —Pelalawan District Head (inactive) Tengku Azmun Jaafar was penalized to 11-year imprisonment by Corruption Crime Court in Jakarta yesterday (16/9/2008) as he found guilty of committing corruption in issuing pulpwood plantation licenses for 15 companies, media reports said.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)—Defendant of corruption case for issuing logging licenses in Pelalawan District, Azmun Jaafar, said he was set to be victim of conspiracy and asked the Judges to also prosecute other officials involving in the issuance.

PEKANBARU (EoF News) -- A witness on the trial of Pelalawan District Head Azmun Jaafar in Jakarta told the judges last week that the defendant received at least Rp 1.5 billion from PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) as a gratification for issuing forestry operation license for the subsidiary of Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Limited (APRIL).

Pekanbaru (EoF News)— Police and PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) employees were engaged in clash in the gate of the Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Limited (APRIL) compound in Pangkalan Kerinci, Pelalawan of Riau, yesterday (3 April 2008) caused several employees and policemen suffered minor injuries, reports said.

Pekanbaru (EoF News)— Environmental groups in Riau expressed their concern over a paper product that allegedly made from wood of natural forest.

Pekanbaru (EoF News)—House of Representatives’ Environmental Commission dismissed a general hearing with PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) on Monday due to insufficient data provided by the company, Koran Tempo daily reported today (9/10/2007).

Pekanbaru (EoF News)— A team of multistakeholders of preventing rampant encroachment in Tesso Nilo forest block, Riau, were ambushed and attacked by mob of encroachers last week. A WWF-Indonesia staff was wounded being overwhelmed by the encroachers whom provoked by W, a district forestry service staff.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) – Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of three environmental NGOs in Riau, Sumatra releases its Investigative Report September & October 2006 today. The EoF Investigation found Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL) to be involved in forest clearance operations in two concessions in the Kampar Peninsula forest block. EoF considers these operations illegal as well as destroying potential High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) despite APRIL’s own publicly announced policy to protect HCVFs.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) -- The Indonesian Police Headquarters have sent its high-ranked officers to Riau province in supervising anti-illegal logging operations within recent month where 71 cases disclosed, 101 perpetrators detained, and 33,702 large logs seized as well as thousand middle and small sized logs are confiscated. The Indonesian Police have deployed five top officers to Riau last week, including Chief of Crime Intelligence Unit Bambang Hendarso Danuri and General Supervision Inspector Jusuf Manggabarani, to monitor the anti-illegal logging raids in the province.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) – Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of three environmental NGOs in Riau, Sumatra releases its Investigative Report August 2006 today. The EoF Investigation found Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL) to be involved in natural forest clearance by its associated company, PT Bina Daya Bintara’s concession inside the Libo forest block. EoF considers these operations illegal as well as destroying potential High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) despite APRIL’s own publicly announced policy to protect HCVFs. When APRIL was found to be involved converting forests in the same concession and to sell the wood to Asia Pulp & Paper’s pulp mill in March 2006, (Investigative Report March 2006 ), APRIL honored EoF’s request and halted logging in the concession to protect Sumatran elephant habitat. However, in August 2006, APRIL’s wood supply company was again found clearcutting natural forest in this concession but this time selling the wood to APRIL itself.

Pekanbaru – (EoF News) – In responding back the replies from APP on Investigative Report June 2006 and from APRIL on IR May 2006, Eyes on the Forest learns that the two companies did not pay attention much to findings which highlighted on conservation concerns.

Despite the officials in Riau claimed that hotspots detected by satellite has vanished, fires still occur inside Tesso Nilo forest on Monday as observed by WWF monitoring officer. The fires are currently set by the encroachers that occurred in coordinate point of South 00.04.38.9 and East 101. 47. 40. 9 (see picture 1 ).

After the Chairman of Gading Permai Small Farmers Business Group, Haji Usman Maun, reported to the Kampar police by RAPP at the forefront of the development of illegal palm oil plantations in the area which claimed by PT RAPP, the management of PT RAPP agreed to meet the Gading Permai community on May 1, 2006. However, instead of sending company officials to attend the meeting, PT RAPP mobilized 300 people in black uniforms to attack, destroy and burn down the people’s houses.

Coalition of environmental NGOs in Riau, including Riau Forest Rescue Network Jikalahari, Walhi Riau, Hakiki, Amar and Yayasan Elang issued a letter of protest to the Board of Constituents Member of LEI on April 4 regarding the certification of Sustainable Plantation Management to PT. RAPP.

News 25 Jul 2005 Eyes on the Forest Statement On June 3, 2005 , APRIL released a statement saying that all their suppliers have legal licenses. On 2 May 2005 , Eyes on the Forest investigators had reported that APRIL suppliers were operating with illegal licenses.

Pekanbaru, Indonesia (EoF News, May 27, 2005) - New investigations by Eyes on the Forest reveal continued forest destruction in APRIL's concession area. At least 216 hectare of natural peat swamp forest have recently been opened and have brought illegal loggers and squatters to the area.