PM heads north tomorrow to tackle smoke and haze issues
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha flies to Chiang Mai tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to host a meeting of the upper northern provincial governors to discuss the haze and smoke which has enveloped the region for the past two months.
A deputy spokesman for the Government, Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukondhapatipak, says the PM has been closely monitoring the haze situation and wants first-hand information from authorities and to provide support if requested.
Over the weekend the haze situation saw no improvement with the eerie light providing an unlikely upside for photographers. Meteorologists believe the smoke problem will persist until at least May. Read the story HERE.
A Pheu Thai party member Chadchat Sitthipan says that the number of voluntary fire-fighters was inadequate and they lack both budget and equipment (Pheu Thai is the dominant political force in the north and north-east regions of the country).
Citing satellite images, which show a lot of hot spots across the border, he suggested that the Thai Foreign Ministry hold talks with its Myanmar counterparts to discuss the problem.
He mentioned Singapore, which has succeeded in convincing Indonesia to address the problem of forest burning, to pave way for oil palm plantations, which caused haze to blanket Singapore and southern Malaysia.
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