season, it takes time for firefighters to locate the water sources. By the time water is irrigated to the hot spots, the fire would have spread." Responding to allegations that plantation and forestry companies were responsible for the fires, Zulkifli was quoted by Tempo magazine as saying the companies must be defended because they pay taxes. He said 14 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting fires, 11 of them linked to companies and three of them smallholders. "If proven guilty they could be jailed for five years and have their permits revoked," he said. In March 2014, Zulkifli supported calls by the National Police and Indonesian Military for the shooting of people found burning forests if they resist arrest. He acknowledged the people responsible for forest fires were seeking to open up new land for palm oil plantations. In 2015, anti-haze activist Syahrul Fitra accused Zulkifli of allowing corporations to burn forests and causing the haze crisis. He claimed Zulkifli had allegedly given permission for the burning of over 1.3 million hectares of forests be used for plantations. He said law enforcers should arrest any officials responsible for the haze and called for an investigation into possible corruption in the issuance of permits. Zulkifli denied any wrongdoing. Riau forestry corruption case In August 2014, Zulkifli visited Riau province and encouraged proposals to change the status of forest land owned by locals so it could become part of 1,638,249 hectares allowed by the Forestry Ministry for conversion into non-forest land. Riau governor Annas Ma'mun's administration responded by sending a proposal to Zulkifli, who gave his approval to some of the areas. Annas later revised the proposal, adding some land owned by palm-oil businessman Gulat Manurung, who paid a bribe of S$156,000 and Rp 500 million. Annas later stated Zulkifli had approved and issued the conversion permit. On 12 November 2014, Zulkifli was questioned as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the case against Annas. Zulkifli denied approving the permit. Annas said he had been on his way to meet with Zulkifli when he was arrested by the KPK in a sting operation in September 2014. Testifying at Annas's corruption trial in April 2015, Zulkifli admitted he had met with the director of PT Duta Palma, Surya Darmadi, to discuss a forest clearing permit. Surya was linked to the case by Gulat, who said he helped PT