Chiang Mai rallies for mountain ‘sanctuary’
Green ribbons reappeared around urban Chiang Mai on Sunday as the Network to Reclaim Doi Suthep Forest stepped up its campaign to have housing units built for court officials removed from the side of the mountain.
Supporters gathered at Tha Pae Gate at 7am, many having walked to the site in what they described as an “homage to Doi Suthep”, regarded as a sacred mountain.
“Don’t let the sanctuary crumble at the hands of humans,” said network coordinator Nikom Putta, president of the Ping River Conservation Group.
The demonstrators then cycled around the Old City to raise public awareness about their cause.
The network is opposed to construction of residences for judges and court officials encroaching on forest at the foot of Doi Suthep.
After an initial protest, the government announced that the residences would instead be built elsewhere, but the campaign has continued in a bid to make sure the existing forest-encroaching structures are demolished and woodland rehabilitation takes place.