Indonesian haze spreads to Thai far South

NARATHIWAT, Thailand, June 25 (TNA) - Ongoing smog from forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra Island has now spread to Thailand’s southernmost region, causing a drop in the visibility by nearly double lately. Thirteen districts of Narathiwat province in the Thai far South were blanketed by the spreading haze, with a burning fume, on Tuesday morning, causing the nearly-double drop in the visibility to 300-400 metres and prompting drivers to turn on headlights to prevent road accidents. The thick haze in Narathiwat appeared to not only affect local residents by forcing them to stay inside, with closed doors and windows, to avoid inhaling the polluting smog, but also local fishermen who, by no other means, were extending their daily fishing time by 2-3 hours for their safety due to the low visibility. The situation improved in the late morning, thanks to the sunlight, but the haze is likely to, again, blanket the affected areas in the Thai deep South in the evening. (TNA)