Park officials, soldiers and local residents have been racing to extinguish dozens of forest fires in Chiang Mai’s Muang and Hang Dong districts to prevent them from spreading to Doi Suthep Mountain – where the sacred temple it is named after overlooks the region.

A Chiang Mai network is preparing to step up its protests against the construction of court officials’ residences at the foot of the Doi Suthep mountain, after two senior figures from the judiciary apparently said they expected these residences to be in use for at least 10 years.