As toxic smog continues to choke much of the country, Chiang Mai Governor Nirat Sitthithaworn’s plan to give 10,000 baht rewards to people who report fire starters in forested areas – if it leads to a conviction - has received a lukewarm response from experts in the field.
“In my opinion 10,000 baht rewards could do very little,” Rungsrit Kanjanavanit from Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine told the Bangkok Post. “This is not a new thing. Similar measures were proposed some years ago at some localities; it did not seem to work.
“The forest fire usually starts at night away from the villages,” said the cardiologist and lecturer.
“I wonder how could anyone could catch the culprit with hard evidence unless millions of CCTV cameras were installed in the forest (which would be burned in the process).”
Anti-burning activist Marisa Marchitelli, director of the film “SMOKE: A crisis in Northern Thailand”, was even more dismissive. “It is not a new initiative. It’s been going on for at least 10 years, and it’s absolutely ridiculous.
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“I’ve tried to do it myself,” she told the Bangkok Post. “In the past I would have had to call a police officer to come first, and the police would have to identify who has started the fire before apprehending them, and by the time they get there they’ve already gone.
“I think targeting the people lighting the fires is completely ridiculous.”
An excerpt from Ms Marisa’s film “Smoke”, featuring an interview with Dr Rungsrit, appears in the latest episode of the Bangkok Post’s “Deeper Dive” vodcast, “Feeding the Smog”. Just search for “Deeper Dive Thailand” wherever you get your podcasts, or click below.