MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2023) Thai activists and academics have sued the nation's prime minister and environmental board as thick smog continues to cloak much of Thailand's north, media reported Tuesday.
More than 1,700 people from the northern city of Chiang Mai backed class action that was filed with the administrative court on Monday, the Bangkok Post reported.
Plaintiffs include 727 people from Chiang Mai University's faculty of law. They accuse Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of failing to tackle air pollution after concentration of fine particulate matter in the air, known as PM2.5, rose to unsafe levels.
Rangsarit Kanchanawanit, from Chiang Mai University's faculty of medicine, said smog increased the risk of lung cancer, heart conditions and stroke and shortened people's lives by roughly five years.
The Pollution Control Department reported PM2.5 within the range of 107 to 310 microgrammes per cubic meter of air on Tuesday. Pinsak Suraswadi, head of the pollution watchdog, attributed worsening air conditions to forest fires and stagnant air.
