"Akkarasaenkeeree," the incoming MP for Chaiyaphum from the Kla Tham Party, has appealed to the new government to urgently find measures to resolve the Phu Laen Kha forest fire in Chaiyaphum Province after it has continued to spread for three days, causing damage to no less than 5,000 rai.
17 Feb 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Akkarasaenkeeree Lohveera, the incoming Member of Parliament (MP) for Chaiyaphum, Constituency 7, from the Kla Tham Party, commented on the situation currently facing Chaiyaphum Province, where a severe forest fire is raging on the Phu Laen Kha mountain range, which is estimated to have damaged forest areas of no less than 5,000 rai. The fire continues to spread, primarily due to extremely dry forests caused by global warming leading to an earlier-than-usual dry season, coupled with the sugarcane harvest period, which involves burning leaves to reduce costs.
Mr. Akkarasaenkeeree further revealed that this situation has caused PM 2.5 levels in the area to rise to concerning levels. As of 16 Feb 2026, Chaiyaphum Province recorded over 1,229 heat spots from fires in agricultural and forest areas, ranking second highest in the country. This has led to air pollution severely affecting public health. Controlling the forest fire is difficult due to the incident occurring on steep cliffs. Park officials have been working around the clock, on foot, using fire beaters and blowers. The forest fire on the Phu Laen Kha summit has continued to burn widely and spread for over three days.
. He called on the new government to urgently address the problem without leaving it to the public to handle. Relevant ministries should coordinate to assist the people, resolve the immediate issue to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas, and tackle the PM 2.5 pollution affecting residents. In the long term, serious measures must be developed to respond to heat spots and air pollution caused by both human activity and natural causes. He urged the government to allocate budgets to localities or provinces to establish a Phu Laen Kha forest fire prevention center, urgently procure machinery such as tools for creating firebreaks in high-risk areas, firefighting equipment like water trucks or water-spraying drones for high terrain, and heat detection tools such as thermal drones. Because the area is a plateau, equipment is limited and some locations are difficult to extinguish due to their elevation.
Meanwhile, farmers in Chaiyaphum Province also appealed to the incoming government to implement urgent measures to improve the overall quality of life amid global warming effects, repeated droughts and floods, and erratic weather. They recommended better water management and cooperation to stop agricultural burning. Currently, sugarcane prices have dropped sharply to no more than 890 baht per ton, compared to the usual 1,200-1,300 baht. Hiring labor to cut cane leads to heavy losses and reduced income, while many sugarcane fields suffer from fires.
They hope the government will help reduce causes of burning to lower agricultural costs. They suggest local administrative organizations be equipped with machinery to assist in cane cutting or other farming activities, such as plowing to bury rice stubble and land leveling. New technology should replace burning, with equipment provided to reduce costs, including tractors and cane-cutting machinery stationed in every subdistrict. Chaiyaphum has 124 subdistricts with over 1,620 villages across 16 districts. A support center should be established at district, subdistrict, or municipal levels to help lower costs and increase income for farmers, who represent the main occupation of the majority of the population nationwide.
They also advocate enhancing the value of agricultural products to improve farming quality. For example, many sugarcane farmers plant large areas but cannot sell at good prices, resulting in low sugar yield value. In contrast, smaller high-quality fields fetch better prices and produce higher quality sugar, which could sustainably improve farmers' livelihoods and increase agricultural value in the future.
"I would like to urge the incoming government, whoever they are, to have policies that listen to the people's voices and lead to genuine, sustainable solutions to the country's problems in the future."