SINGAPORE: Slash and burn farming practices in northern Thailand has left a haze over much of the country, disrupting at least one flight over the weekend. A Bangkok Airways flight to Lamphang, 450 kilometers north of Bangkok, had to be diverted to nearby Sukhothai Airport on Sunday due to poor visibility. The airline had resumed flights to Monday, an official said. The Pollution Control Department warned that smog had reached dangerous levels in eight northern provinces, including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phrae and Phayao. The practice of slash and burning has been a centuries old tradition in the Southeast Asian country, but in recent years the government has attempted to intervene in the practice in order to reduce the smog and pollution caused by the burning. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/q08eK Tags: Farming, Haze, Pollution, Thailand Section: East Asia, Environment
