The boss of the national Disaster Prevention and Mitigation division for Phuket is Trakul Thotham. He told reporters that although the blanket of smog is an annual occurrence, it was the worst he had seen in several years. He noted that by the end of yesterday the shroud was starting to lift a little.
The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand reported that a total of five flights bound for airports on Phuket and Koh Samui had had to return to Bangkok as they could not land because of the haze. The pilots of another two flights had to circle until the air cleared a bit.
The fires on Borneo and Sumatra are started by farmers every year to clear land so that it is ready for the next cycle of crops. The smoke normally drifts over to Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand.
Due to the worsening air quality across the region, other nations had offered to help Indonesia deal with the problem. The national government insisted it could deal with the smoke, but has now acquiesced and is holding talks with representatives from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.
Smoke from Indonesia forest fires covers southern Thailand
News in Asia
Smoke from forest fires burning in northern Indonesia has shrouded Thailand’s southernmost provinces for most of this week. The smog has reduced visibility and forced the pilots of several incoming flights to abort landings.