Haze delays Charupong’s flight
Haze delays Charupong’s flight
24 March 2013
published by www.bangkokpost.com
Thailand — Haze and thick smoke from forest fires on Sunday morning stalled a planned helicopter trip by Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan and officials from Chiang Mai to the ravaged Karen refugee centre in Mae Hong Son’s Khun Yuam district.
The volume of dust particles and haze in Chiang Mai on Sunday morning was measured at 175 microgrammes per cubic metre, much higher than the limit, causing many commercial flights to be postponed.
The weather conditions also halted the trip by helicopter of a group of officials led by Mr Charupong and Chatchai Promlert, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, who planned to fly from Chiang Mai to visit the refugee centre.
Chote Trachu, the permanent secretary for natural resources and environment, and Manopas Huamuangkaew, director-general of the National Parks and Wildlife Department, went to Nakhonping Hospital in Chiang Mai to visit forest fire fighters who have been seriously injured and are being treated at the hospital.
Two fire fighters were killed and five others seriously injured when a six-wheel truck they were travelling in plunged into a ravine between kilometre markers 83 and 84 in Pai district while they were on the way to the Karen refugee centre in Mae Yuam district to help put out the fire there.
