PM orders solution to haze in Thai North

BANGKOK, March 11 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, who is also Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order(NCPO), has ordered the Ministry of Defence to work together with other agencies concerned to urgently solve the haze problem in the Thai North to protect local people and the environment. Royal Thai Army Deputy Spokeswoman Colonel Sirijan Nga-thong told journalists of the order on Wednesday, as the prime minister is concerned over negative impacts of the widespread haze in the Thai North. As the prime minister stressed that his instruction should have a clear result, the deputy spokeswoman said that the Royal Thai Army has, thus, prepared to deploy its aircraft and water tanks to be lifted by helicopters, while the Royal Air Force has agreed to operate two BT-67 aircraft to shower water in the sky and the Royal Thai Navy and the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters to send tank trucks to put out forest fires and spray water in affected areas, together with tank trucks of other participating parties. Besides, concerned authorities have asked people not to burn objects and leftover crops, while the military has created firebreaks with other government agencies and local administrative organisations in affected areas to limit impacts from forest fires. The deputy spokeswoman acknowledged that forest fires and subsequent haze remain critical in the Thai North, especially in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Lampang Provinces. (TNA)