JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR - Indonesia has sealed off plantations operated by 29 companies, including four subsidiaries of Malaysian groups and one Singaporean firm, after fires were detected in their concessions, the government said on Friday .Environment and forestry minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on Friday the government will prosecute a number of these companies as a deterrent to setting fires.
In response, Sime Darby Plantation said on Friday that there had not been any action taken by the Indonesian authorities to seal off the operations of Sime Indo Agro . "We were able to quickly extinguish several small fires that have occurred over the last couple of months and have assisted other companies and villagers to respond to fires on our neighbouring lands."
Adiplomatic row has erupted over the past days between both countries' environment ministers, centring on who is at fault for the hazy conditions. Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, who oversees cash crops such as palm oil, issued a statement on Friday to express concern over Indonesia's claim that Malaysian subsidiaries owned land where forest fires were reported.