ASEAN Beat | Environment | Southeast Asia

Indonesian President Replaces Head of Disaster Management Agency

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of Jakarta’s response to the forest and peatland fires that have drastically reduced air quality across the region.

Haze obscures the skyline of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sep. 18, 2026.

Indonesia’s President ​Prabowo Subianto yesterday replaced the head of the country’s disaster management agency in a bid to restore confidence in the government’s ability to bring intensifying land and forest fires under control.

Lt.-Gen. Kristomei Sianturi, 50, was sworn in as the chief of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) at the State Palace in Jakarta, replacing Lt.-Gen. Suharyanto. Speaking after the ceremony, the two-star army general said that Prabowo had given him orders to move as quickly as possible to bring the fires under control.

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Indonesia’s President ​Prabowo Subianto yesterday replaced the head of the country’s disaster management agency in a bid to restore confidence in the government’s ability to bring intensifying land and forest fires........

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