5,000 officers to contain bushfires in Thai south

BANGKOK, August 19 (TNA) - Around 5,000 fire fighters and support staff will be deployed in Thailand's southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, where bushfires have spread across 100 spots and destroyed thousands of acres of land. According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Preecha Rengsomboonsuk, the bushfires in Pa Pru Kuan Kreng forest have been triggered by a long dry spell, drying up water reserves in the forest. Unfortunately, several areas of the blaze are unreachable by water trucks. A probe has been commissioned to investigate whether politicians are involved with arson, with the intention to clear land for palm oil plantations. (TNA)