Jakarta, Sept. 16 -- Indonesia's Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the use of presidential assistance (banpres) funds for forest and land fire handling must be carried out transparently.

"It must be properly, accountably, and transparently accounted for to the state and to the public," Antoni said in a statement here on Wednesday.

President Prabowo Subianto has allocated wildfire handling assistance funds amounting to Rp30 billion for South Sumatra Provincial Government, Rp20 billion each for Ogan Komering Ilir and Musi Banyuasin district governments, and Rp15 billion each for Ogan Ilir and Banyuasin district governments.

Antoni said the assistance funds reflect President Prabowo's attention to regions dealing with forest and lan...