Haze hampered Thailand-Malaysia ferry operations

NARATHIWAT, Oct 23 (TNA) -- The Marine Department's regional office in the Thai southern province of Naratiwat has reported that the ongoing haze blown in from Sumatra island of Indonesia has lowered visibility at sea to only 1-2 nautical miles and has advised all boats to stay anchored as safety precautions. Director of the office Santhana Chanthorn said as a safety precaution and so prevent accidents at sea, all boats have been advised to be extra vigilant during sails at present and should stay anchored if the smog become thicker, as well as to closely monitor updates from the National Meteorological department before setting sail. Meanwhile, ferry services, linking Thailand and Malaysia at the Taba checkpoint in Tak Bai district of Naratiwat, have been seeing continued decline as the haze continued to blanket the area. Ferry operators have said they used to receive around 30 passengers per trip, but now, only 5-6 visitors would make the trip to Malaysia, causing the tourism atmosphere there to become lifeless. (TNA)