Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will fly to the northern province of Chiang Mai on Tuesday morning to chair a meeting of upper northern provincial governors to discuss the haze problem which is wreaking havoc
in several provinces.

Government’s deputy spokesman Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said today that the Prime Minister has closely monitored the haze situation in the North and wants to go to the affected region to get first-hand information from authorities and to provide support if requested.

The Pollution Control Department said the haze problem today was worse than yesterday with the level of PM2.5 dust particles increasing in all areas.

Pheu Thai party’s core member Mr. Chadchat Sitthipan said that the number of voluntary fire-fighters was inadequate and they lack both budget and equipment.

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.