redbull707

Hey guys (and ladies),

Does anyone have any information about the Thai governments action plan for Thailand's expat community?

I'm American and my government just sold Thailand's Army 16 state-of-the-art tanks. Thanks to the trade war with China, Thailand and the USA are best friends. Has the USA gotten Thailand paranoid about terrorism to the point where Thai's are blaming foreigners for it? Or maybe our countries want us back and they are working with Thailand about that? Thailand has always depended on foreigners to prosper... even in the Ayutthaya "golden age" when the Portuguese were running politics behind the scenes and supplying the kingdom with weapons to fend off Burma. So what gives? 

Thailand has slipped down 7 spots in the world expat rankings (Thailand was #20, now #27 in one year!) while Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Portugual and Singapore hold the top 5 for 2019.

Over the past few months, we have been attacked with TM-30's and, recently, dual pricing for hospitals. Yes, Coconuts reported a quiet piece of legislation saying that after 30 Sept, all foreigners (expat and tourist) will pay more than Thai at all public hospitals.

So what's going on politically?

Should expats be worried?

I've never known Thailand to be xenophobic. I've been protecting the environment here and inspiring locals to speak English since 2012.

6 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

What is it in the smoke that you know makes it "toxic smoke"?

Dixoins and Furans. They are created when various plastics and metals are burned.

9 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Ken, 

 

If there was a tax base then the local government would probably be happy to buy some trucks and do pick up. In certain parts of Bangkok the pickup is daily. In rural areas there simply isn't the money available to do that. 

 

If anything I am a champion of common sense . The burden of common sense is that one has to coexist with people who don't have it.

 

Sadly you lost me when you claim to be an educator, which I translate as cultural imperialist.

Thank you for your idea. Tax money is a good idea but maybe without transparency, the money would be squandered?

Your man of common sense? You sound like the kid in my university classes who plays pubG in the back row and only attends college so this parents don't kick him out of the house. Living in a society where people operate on "common sense" would be chaos. For example, very few people in thailand are educated about how to drive a car.  They use "common sense" which has resulted in Thailand being the second most dangerous country to drive a car. The problem with common sense is that its only common to you! haha. Think about that. There's no such thing as a collective knowledge that everyone should know automatically. When you come into a conversation about something, you should have a toolbox of information that's filled with more than your opinions.

10 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Ken,

 

You need some up-to-date info here. Almost no one makes that any more. Chlorine Free is the Key and all that.....

You are wrong. The next time you say something like this , give me your sources, not your opinions. Do you seriously think that paper pulp comes "white color" straight from the tree?? haha. No. Many toxic chemicals are used to make paper and make it white. Check out this quick google search and please back up your claims. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_chemicals

Finally, even if you were right (which your not), Thais are still burning PVC which is known as the Poison Plastic. They also burn single-use plastics (plastic #1) which can contain BPA (those destroy your reproductive sytems) and plastic #6 which have carcinogenic chemicals. I used to be a researcher on toxic issues with an organization in Bangkok. Please don't argue opinions with me on this. We can argue about certain materials. Maybe I'm wrong a few materials. It doesn't matter because burning trash creates very toxic chemicals that are a direct and immediate threat to public health. Can we stay productive and solution based instead of bickering about details? I'm here to help ????

21 hours ago, haymanpl said:

 

What worked very effectively for me was standing on the property border with a video camera recording the fire, as well as the people around the fire and vehicles/motorbikes on the property. This stopped the fires. Now i have proof, i can take it to the authorities and see if anyone will charge them. Regardless, it worked.

Have you thought about finding a Thai who cares about this issue and starting a Change.org petition in Thai language? I can give you information about the dangers of burning. Thailand recently is considering banning cigarette smoking indoors because its "an attack on innocent children". Well, by the same logic, trash burning should be banned because its more toxic than cigarette smoke and it contaminates our rice feilds, livestock, laundry and it enters our homes.

Source:

56 minutes ago, MartiniMan said:

Very easy - first of all you talk to them and you are very polite and explain how its no good

If they continue - you turn up and again politely remind them

They lost face now

Like a small boy essentially they just have to be given a bit of a reminder

Eventually they will get the point that this is awkward or embrassing to them so they will stop the practice

But first you must make them feel awkward (very easy to do they have VERY thin skin)

Just make them very awkward and use a lot of talk about karma, bad luck, ghosts and spirits

You can tell them you just saw and heard a ghost talking last night and you are sure it is cursed now - just keep a straight face and offer a candle and incense stick to remove the bad spirit watch how long they hang around for

They are children minds learn how to play games with children and enjoy thailand u will never meet adults that are this basic anywhere in the world - ENJOY IT

You've lived here a long time. Wise words! haha

On 6/30/2019 at 11:35 AM, VocalNeal said:

 

Or the public dumpster. 

 

The reason there is no pickup is probably because the area doesn't get enough tax revenue to pay for it. Same for most "government" services.

 

Do you support the status quo? You seem to be a champion for carcinogenic pollution, a failed waste-management system and laziness. Pollution is an enemy of every human in every country. It's nothing something that goes away like a mosquito. Historically, the greatest threat to human civilization has been disease. Where does diseases come from? T R A S H. There are somethings that we cannot our culture about when public health and environment are at urgent risk.

I'm a freelance pollution campaigner in Thailand and I just wanted to give my three cents on the trash burning epidemic in Thailand.

Is Trash burning a big deal? According to public health and environmental authorities, the World Health Organization and Greenpeace, the short answer is "Hell Yes!" Without getting into too much chemistry, we know that the mixing of some chemicals creates new chemicals. When you burn products made from oil and toxic chemicals like plastics (single use, clothes from polyester), white paper products made from chlorinated wood pulp, metals and other material, you are creating a toxic and carcinogenic smoke bomb. One chemical, more scary that Thanos from Avengers, is called Dioxin. The EU and New Zealand have a ban/regulation on it because it's so nasty. Basically, it's a cancer-causing chemical from burning trash and it accumulates in your body fat. While there it destroys your DNA, weakens your immune system like HIV and causes reproductive damage that makes your babies look completely alien. Do you remember the Vietnam-American war? Agent Orange? Yeah, that nasty stuff which causes mutations in new born babies has an active ingredient called Dioxin which is what you make when you burn chlorinated stuff like PVC (the "C" means chloride) and white paper products. The WHO says, "Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer." (1)

Is Trash burning illegal? I have an official Thai document from the National Government that says that it's illegal to burn. Upon request, I can share it with you.

Why do Thais burn their trash?  Well, I think several members have touched base on this accurately. Unfortunately, trash burning  is the issue that NO ONE in the world wants to talk about. Approx. 40% of the world burns trash and that's mostly in SE Asia, Asia and Africa. As a result, tons of carcinogenic smoke circulate our earth and it's not thoroughly researched. We blame cars, planes and factories for their carbon emissions and contributions to climate change, global warming and the fact that air pollution is killing more people per year than cigarettes. Perhaps, we should be focusing our efforts on waste management. Thailand is a country of convenience which is not much different than the west. The difference is that for some reason, laws are not enforced in Thailand unless they have to be enforced. For example, the BKK government is converting boat engines of the boats to electric motors to help curb pollution. Why? Well, I think it's not to protect public health. In fact, during the no wind/PM2.5 crisis in Bangkok, the government was quoted saying (Bangkok Post) that they wouldn't do anything drastic to improve air quality unless the economy was affected. Thai's have always thrown away their trash because they used to use biodegradable coconuts, leaves and sticks for packaging. That mentality has continued in the era of Plastics. We do what's easy in Thailand. Why do you think this is the Land of Smiles?

What Can We Do?

You can join my efforts! I campaigned against trash burning with help of some alumni students and after 7 months, we won! That was back in 2015. I got fired for "damaging the reputation of the school" but I saved many students from pollution, so it was totally worth it. In Nonthaburi, a Thai women started a community group to establish a sustainable waste management system and she won! Her community remains trash burning free to my limited knowledge. In the 1990's, the daughter of the Bangkok Bank president, launched a successful campaign to educate Thai's to be more smart about not littering. It was called the "Magic Eyes" campaign.

I have learned that (1) foreigners cannot complain about anything in Thailand; your a guest in this country with the voice of an ant. (2) change comes from having a thai partner who is as passionate as you are but influential. (3) any change is possible if your thai partner can get support from many thai and if your campaign can make people in high office look better.

Let's Make Clean Air!

My name is Ken and I've been fighting for clean air since 2015. Living in a pollution-free community is a basic human right. I'm not trying to "westernize" Thailand. I'm simply informing Thai's about the dangers of pollution so that THEY can take action on this issue. I'm an educator, that's it. If you know of any Thai's or influential farangs who want to work with me on this issue, I'm happy to talk about my current strategy. I love Thailand very much and I believe that Thai people have a right to know about the negative effects of burning and littering waste has on their health and environment as well as proven sustainable solutions to prevent such pollution from making them sick if they so choose.

(1) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dioxins-and-their-effects-on-human-health