CHIANG MAI– People in Chiang Mai say they’ve had enough. As thick haze continues to cover the city, locals have started holding signs at major tourist spots to demand clean air and real action on PM2.5 pollution.
On March 28, 2026, with smoke hanging heavily over Chiang Mai, two residents, Traipop Pattapong and Mahasamut Akkradechosap, brought protest signs in both Thai and English to several well-known locations.
They stood at sites including Wua Lai Walking Street, the Three Kings Monument, and Tha Phae Gate. Many tourists stopped to look, and some even joined in by holding the signs with them.
Their goal was simple: to send a clear message to national leaders that the haze problem has become too serious to ignore.
Traipop told the Manager Online that the group wanted to show that air pollution in Chiang Mai has reached a disaster level. According to him, many residents are struggling and can no longer cope with the conditions. He called on the government and all related agencies to step in because the situation has become severe.
Mahasamut shared the same concern. He said he and his friend came out to speak up because the air quality has become unbearable. In his view, people in Chiang Mai are being forced to live through extremely harmful conditions.
He wants both the governor and the prime minister to pay attention and respond to what people are facing every day. He added that this small protest is meant to represent the voices of many others, because clean air is a basic need.
A vendor on Wua Lai Walking Street, Orpin, also voiced frustration. She said politicians once promised residents that they would solve the PM2.5 problem. But now, as people continue to suffer, she said those promises seem forgotten. In her words, it should not be the case that once politicians win office, they stop listening to the people who trusted them.
The issue has also affected visitors. Kegi, a 33-year-old tourist from Kazakhstan, said she has lived in Chiang Mai for three years and feels the air has gotten worse each year. She said there seems to be no clear way out for people living here, because they cannot simply escape the pollution. She wants to see a real response from the government and a practical plan that helps the public deal with the problem together.
She also said many tourists often ask how bad the smoke season really is, and from her experience, it has only become worse year after year. Since Chiang Mai is a major tourist city, she warned that poor air quality could drive visitors away. If people cannot breathe safely, she said, everything else becomes less important.
The demonstration may have been small, but the message was loud and clear. Chiang Mai residents want more than words. They want clean air, clear action, and a serious response to the PM2.5 crisis that keeps returning to the city.
