Jakarta, Aug. 23 -- President Prabowo Subianto assured that the government is stepping up efforts to combat forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan, aiming to prevent the fires from spreading and new hotspots from emerging.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the president received updates on the situation and operational needs on the ground while chairing a coordination meeting at the Central Kalimantan Forest and Land Fire Command Post in Palangka Raya on Saturday (August 22).

"The president received reports on requirements on the ground and confirmed that government support will continue to be reinforced," he said in a statement released by the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Sunday.

To bolster firefighting efforts,...