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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Oliver Holmes in Bangkok and agencies

Indonesia accused of ‘gross negligence’ in wildfires lawsuit as haze tests region

Students conduct marching drills amid haze from forest and land fires at the courtyard of the Mujahidin Grand Mosque in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
Students conduct marching drills amid haze from forest and land fires at the courtyard of the Mujahidin Grand Mosque in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Photograph: DITO/AFP/Getty Images

The Indonesian government has been accused of “gross negligence” in a class action lawsuit over its handling of wildfires that have cloaked large parts of South-east Asia in a toxic haze, shuttered schools and caused a spike in respiratory illnesses.

The lawsuit, filed by indigenous and civil society groups in the Indonesian part of Borneo, named President Prabowo Subianto and the governor of West Kalimantan among 10 defendants. The case seeks comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation measures that would include covering the healthcare costs of residents.

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