Chiang Mai stepping up efforts against forest fires

Paphamon Arayasukawat

 

 

CHIANGMAI (NNT) -Several northern provinces have announced they will be closing national forests for two months as they contend with annual forest fires, reminding the inhabitants that hunting and foraging laws will be strictly enforced.

 

Soldiers from the Veterinary and Remount Department of the Royal Thai Army, have joined administrative officials and village leaders to tackle forest fires in the Mae Ping National Park area of Doi Tao district of Chiang Mai province.

 

The Third Army has set up patrols of the district, as it is among the top ten locations for hotspots this year and is under a strict no burning rule.

 

Hotspots have continually been discovered in the district, with latest counts exceeding 10 spots, putting it in fourth position for hotspots in Chiang Mai. A target of 50 percent fewer hotspots has been set for the district this year after more than 132,000 rai was set ablaze and a total of 802 hotspots were recorded in 2020.

 

The Third Army has sent a memo to the governors of 17 provinces across the north, asking them to close off forests for a period of two months or 61 days starting in March. Authorities are to foster an understanding of the rule and screen all entry points into forest areas. Violators will be fined 100,000 baht and be hit with a jail sentence between 4 and 20 years if they cause a fire, with an additional fines of 400,000 baht to 2 million baht.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-03-07

 

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So they think that they can stop people setting light to the forests, ha, ha, dream on.????

18 minutes ago, colinneil said:

So they think that they can stop people setting light to the forests, ha, ha, dream on.????

That's a pretty dumb response Colin.  ANY and all attempts to halt the burning are well intentioned and should be applauded, after all its what most of the old farts on here are asking for ... No? 

They are too late,every year they know forest burning is going to

occur,where and when, the sky is already thick with smoke, and

now the want to do something about it,sorry the horse has bolted.

regards Worgeordie

1 hour ago, McTavish said:

That's a pretty dumb response Colin.  ANY and all attempts to halt the burning are well intentioned and should be applauded, after all its what most of the old farts on here are asking for ... No? 

Not dumb mate, been there seen it, few years ago when we lived in the mountains around Mai Hong Son, asked some hill tribe men why do you burn when you have been asked to stop, because we can was the answer, we live here we do what we want.

Have you any experience living in the mountains?  Probably not, just spouting off not knowing the situation.

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Third Army has sent a memo to the governors of 17 provinces across the north, asking them to close off forests

Administrative phase to begin studying preliminary actions for a final meeting to define the strategy to be followed

 

Bureaucracy.

 

Good Morning...Chiang Mai.

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Maybe the click of cuffs on wrists and a night in the Hanoi Hilton will remind them...

 

The lesson is repeated until its learned..

Why Hanoi?

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

So they think that they can stop people setting light to the forests, ha, ha, dream on.????

 

I think they could

- if they only would

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Third Army has sent a memo to the governors of 17 provinces across the north,

They 'd better sent a few bataillons to the mountains (with strict order to arrest every perp)

HAHAHAHA    I think they are following the old saying : 

 "fighting fire with fire "  

 

I know what i'm doing in a few days.   Getting the hell out of Dodge ......

 

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

asked some hill tribe men why do you burn when you have been asked to stop, because we can was the answer, we live here we do what we want.

So something should be done that they cannot anymore - threaten with removing them from the mountains ...

and then do so as soon as the next fire appears

 

Nobody should no way be allowed to destroy the health of many people

3 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

So something should be done that they cannot anymore - threaten with removing them from the mountains ...

and then do so as soon as the next fire appears

 

Nobody should no way be allowed to destroy the health of many people

Yes mate fully agree with you, but the problem is a lot deeper than most people understand.

People in the mountains feel it is their right to do as they please.

Thai authority could help stop the problem by treating the hill tribe people like human beings, something that does not happen, those poor people are treated disgustingly by authority here, so they are basically sticking 2 fingers up at authority. 

32 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

They 'd better sent a few bataillons to the mountains (with strict order to arrest every perp)

I went walking in the mountains (illegally) last week, the 20 of us (mostly Chinese) walked past an group of army guys with full face paint. They didn't say a word to us.

An offensively heinous post and a reply has been removed. 

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Yes mate fully agree with you, but the problem is a lot deeper than most people understand.

People in the mountains feel it is their right to do as they please.

Thai authority could help stop the problem by treating the hill tribe people like human beings, something that does not happen, those poor people are treated disgustingly by authority here, so they are basically sticking 2 fingers up at authority. 

If you lived in Mae Hong Song area before then you definitely have had a mouth and 2 lungs full being right in the thick of it. Down yonder in CM city area is still bad as the months progresses, and some years of times before so intolerable having everyone suffer immensely. But in either case, it is all about money and burning brings extra income or the benefit of not spending more. It is time to make big examples out these fire bugs and hit them where it hurts.

Hmm! Seems CM is now number 1 by a huge margin. CM at 255, Kathmandu number 2 at 171. Well done Mr Governor for all your plans, but a pity about their execution. 

 

Until Thai people in general take pollution seriously and hold government accountable nothing will change. And of course the current crowd of non democrats are accountable to no one. So its mask on for Covid and mask on for pollution. A great incentive for travellers to visit here.

Unless and until you get Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, China, et al on side the efforts of Thailand will be for nought.

Think there is some sort of invisible fence along the border that stops the smoke from entering the country ? 555

Some (most) people have not a clue

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I went walking in the mountains (illegally) last week, the 20 of us (mostly Chinese) walked past an group of army guys with full face paint. They didn't say a word to us.

You probably didn't look like you were carrying matches and accelerate with the purpose of starting forest fires so you could collect mushrooms in June.

It only works when you start threaten  to put the government official in jail instead if the don't do their job. 

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Hotspots have continually been discovered in the district

 Preparing for the mushroom growing season????

the Army is there to keep people out or to put out the fires?  since they do very little at any time, I'd think putting them to work dousing the fires would be one solution to both problems.

Driving home last night from Lampang the mountains were all on fire, smoke bellowing out from them and saw numerous lines of fire. Worst I have seen it in 5 years or so.

 

 

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A target of 50 percent fewer hotspots has been set for the district this year after more than 132,000 rai was set ablaze and a total of 802 hotspots were recorded in 2020.

So burn 50% this year and the other 50% next year, the locals will be okay with that.

7 hours ago, sweatalot said:

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Third Army has sent a memo to the governors of 17 provinces across the north,

They 'd better sent a few bataillons to the mountains (with strict order to arrest every perp)

 

A couple of years ago in Chiang Rai I witnessed the fire setting a couple hundred meters from a Army/Police checkpoint and nothing was done about it ..

 

 

Where I live today the air quality was over 250 terrible air in Chiang Mai

Lived there for over 2 years - as it a bowl - promise this promise that - still looks like SFA 

9 hours ago, colinneil said:

Not dumb mate, been there seen it, few years ago when we lived in the mountains around Mai Hong Son, asked some hill tribe men why do you burn when you have been asked to stop, because we can was the answer, we live here we do what we want.

Have you any experience living in the mountains?  Probably not, just spouting off not knowing the situation.

Oh I'm well aware of the situation Colin.  And the errant MHS farmers are not really a concern IMHO.  It's the reckless burning of scrubland or forest, and waste like plastic, old tyres, etc, that's needlessly contributing to the haze which crosses over from neighbouring countries each year.

Therefore all efforts to control indiscriminate burning are welcome.

 

Personally, bush fire smoke doesn't bother me but I get a tad <deleted> off when fragments  of burned waste cardboard or cement sacks land in my pool.  55

Just now, McTavish said:

Oh I'm well aware of the situation Colin.  And the errant MHS farmers are not really a concern IMHO.  It's the reckless burning of scrubland or forest, and waste like plastic, old tyres, etc, that's needlessly contributing to the haze which crosses over from neighbouring countries each year.

Therefore all efforts to control indiscriminate burning are welcome.

 

Personally, bush fire smoke doesn't bother me but I get a tad <deleted> off when fragments  of burned waste cardboard or cement sacks land in my pool.  55

I was not talking about farmers, i said hill tribe men, should have said they were burning the forest.

We had to travel to our home 32 ks along forest tracks, and we were on my mc trying to reach MHS, track was impassable due to them burning both sides of the track.

14 minutes ago, colinneil said:

I was not talking about farmers, i said hill tribe men, should have said they were burning the forest.

We had to travel to our home 32 ks along forest tracks, and we were on my mc trying to reach MHS, track was impassable due to them burning both sides of the track.

Aussies know how to handle bush fires ... they send all the smoke and ash across to New Zealand.  555

And, each year of devastating fires in NSW or Victoria, the then government (state and federal) appoint royal commissions to study and solve the problem ... and guess what happens?  SFA.

Reason being, drought+heat+fuel makes for a good fire season and it only takes a fire-bug, lightning strike or dodgy electricity pole to create a spark.

But Aussies are fortunate to have a HUGE ocean to which the smoke carries ....

Yes, Chiang Mai really doing something...????