Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has admitted that the government decided against declaring Chiang Mai a disaster zone despite its worsening air pollution out of fear that it would hurt the province's tourism industry.
Taking to X to defend the government's decision, Mr Srettha said he has listened to suggestions made by various stakeholders and came to the conclusion that declaring the province a disaster zone will drive away foreign visitors -- especially those whose insurance policies won't cover problems that arise while travelling in disaster-hit areas.
There are other ways to tackle the province's air pollution, so the government decided to go with the option which would pose the least risk to people's livelihoods, he said.
The PM also noted that the government had granted more funding to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) on Sunday to help it fight the wildfires.
The government has never approved such a budget in the past, and the amount approved was larger than the funds earmarked for disaster mitigation, he said.
The government has come under fire for refusing to declare Chiang Mai a disaster zone, despite the worsening air pollution across the province. In fact, the province's air quality ranked among the world's worst on Sunday.
However, tour operators agree with the goverment's decision, with many opposing any plan to declare the province a disaster zone, despite the toll on local residents' health.
Panlop Sae Jiew, chairman of the Tourism Council of Chiang Mai, wrote on Facebook that more than 52,000 travellers flew into Chiang Mai between March 1-16, generating over one billion baht for the economy.
"If the province were to be declared a disaster zone, foreign visitors would stop coming, hurting the economy. Meanwhile, the dust pollution continues to be unresolved," he said.
Harmful levels of PM2.5 pollutants were reported in 42 provinces, with all 19 provinces in the North reporting high concentrations of fine dust.
Mae Hong Son saw a spike in air pollution due to wildfires across the province. PM2.5 concentration was at recorded at 294 microgrammes per cubic metre early Monday morning, the highest in the north.
