Landowners' fires put public safety at risk

Published: 9 May 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

One evening while heading home, I was alarmed to find a bright orange flame shining in an empty plot of land in my neighbourhood.

I knew what it was: someone had lit a fire on a vacant piece of land, a common problem in my neighbourhood as landowners resort to a cheap and easy method of clearing their properties.

What frightened me the most was that this land plot was separated from a petrol station only by a concrete wall.

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mphilips
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Discussion 7 : 09 May 2012 at 18.457
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dao: Thailand's major problem is not the absence of laws, it is the absence of anyone who will properly enforce them. It is not only law-breakers who are lazy and selfish.
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wvavin
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Discussion 6 : 09 May 2012 at 14.566
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"Great article. We need better police protection against this type of action. It hurts every citizen here." tcr, you missed out an important point and that is the police has difficulty seeing this because they have been bribed by these landowners.
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milton
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Discussion 5 : 09 May 2012 at 13.125
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This, also is a very major problem in the country outside the city. Millions of Rai have been burnt to nothing this year all across the North. This a health problem in the damage to air quality and also a flood problem. It ruins the land in a few years. Nothing will grow after the topsoil is depleted and eroded. The forest animals suffer dearly and people wonder why their houses are under water. There are laws against this but they are not enforced and arsonists burn with impunity. If something is not done soon, a few years will bring collapse to Northern Thailand. The owners of any burnt land should be held responsible and culpable, fined and or jailed. No one should be allowed to grow anything but new trees on burnt land for at least 5 years. This problem is very serious and must be addressed by the government. The negative ramifications are to health, economy, tourism, wealth and quality of life to all who live in Thailand.
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dao
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Discussion 4 : 09 May 2012 at 11.454
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Maybe there should be some sort of law about landowners having to minimal maintenance on their land to avoid creating danger to others via fires .
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med142
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Discussion 3 : 09 May 2012 at 11.413
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These fires they light are so dangerous. The other week near makro in Bang na their was a very big one. It took the the fire team many hours to put it out.It was in the afternoon and the road is a busy one also. The road was so full of smoke that it could have caused a road fatality.
There was also a car sales lot right next to the fire.
These people who light such fires are very dangerous and should be prosecuted.
They put people's health at risk due to smoke inhalation also, not just the cars etc on the roads.
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barryw
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Discussion 2 : 09 May 2012 at 09.402
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The writer has lost a grip on reality. This is Thailand, where no rich person can be held accountable and selfishness is deeply ingrained into the culture.
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tcr
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Discussion 1 : 09 May 2012 at 09.261
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Great article. We need better police protection against this type of action. It hurts every citizen here.
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Landowners' fires put public safety at risk | Bangkok Post: opinion