THE BATTLE AGAINST A wildfire in Chiang Rai’s Mae Chan district dragged on yesterday as officials, military personnel and volunteers worked tirelessly to prevent the blaze from engulfing towns nearby.

In a month-long crime sweep, police nabbed more than 1,000 suspects and seized 143 firearms, 52,791 meth-amphetamine pills, 316 grams of crystal meth, 1,392 kilogams of marijuana and 235kg of krathom leaves, Provincial Police Region 8 chief Pol Lt-General Pongwuth Pongsri said on Friday.