Sumatra haze re-blankets Thai South

SONGKHLA, THAILAND, July 28 (TNA) - Many southern Thai provinces are hit by a new wave of smog from wildfires on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. Wanchai Sakudomchai, Director of the Southern Meteorological Center, east-coast, in Songhkla Province, said Saturday that the southwestern monsoon wind has carried the haze from Indonesia to, again, blanket the southern part of Thailand with latest satellite images, released on July 27, showing that there were some 681 hot spots on the Indonesian island. Wanchai told journalists that his agency is working closely with the the Pollution Control Department in monitoring the level of particulate matter (pm) and will immediately inform the public if the pm level goes beyond safety limit, acknowledging, however, that the pm levels remain normal currently. Meanwhile, all 10 districts of southern Trang province were hit by the Indonesian smog Saturday, the third time this year. Local motorists were, thus, advised to be more careful when driving; while boats and ships were also told to proceed with caution. Also, Trang's disaster prevention and mitigation office instructed its officials to pay close attention to pm, as it can cause health problems to local villagers. (TNA)