Looking out from my back patio. 15.30 today. Burning San Kamphaeng, this not farmland. Been going on for a week now off and on. Would be government land.

555. If they did that there would be no rice grown next year and do you really think local plod is going to cruise around the paddies, what a joke.

The only police we see in my village is a lady who comes home from Bangkok to visit her family.

1 hour ago, trainman34014 said:

Well; we're always being told 'Thailand is different' !

Yep, they have a different type of Moss here!   LOL

The same is said every year, every year a couple of sacrificial lambs are publicly humiliated and fined for burning trash in their backyards, then the real burning of moutainsides and cane fields goes on unabated and unenforced. 
Wash, rinse, repeat annually with much hand wringing and exclamations by authorities of "What can we do, what can we do?"

As I have said before, there is an easy solution to this issue. As it pertains to the burning, but as usual, the authorities are only discussing the issue, at the crisis stage. They are masters at avoiding anything preemptive. But, they are not serious, and like all Prayuth related crackdowns, this is not real, it will not last, and there is nothing behind it. Oh, wait a minute. I said something bad about the great leader. Am I going to prison now?

 

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.
2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated. If the fine is not paid within 30 days, the most valuable vehicle the family owns, gets immediately confiscated, permanently, without compensation of any sort. Too bad. We warned you.
3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land.
The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century.

Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here?

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

As I have said before, there is an easy solution to this issue. As it pertains to the burning, but as usual, the authorities are only discussing the issue, at the crisis stage. They are masters at avoiding anything preemptive. But, they are not serious, and like all Prayuth related crackdowns, this is not real, it will not last, and there is nothing behind it. Oh, wait a minute. I said something bad about the great leader. Am I going to prison now?

 

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.
2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated. If the fine is not paid within 30 days, the most valuable vehicle the family owns, gets immediately confiscated, permanently, without compensation of any sort. Too bad. We warned you.
3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land.
The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century.

Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here?

Whilst I agree with most of your comment here, I would also add that they should go for the processing company, tell them if they process "Burnt" crop they face a heavy Tax and possible closure. If they dont/wont process burned crops, there is little point in the farmers burning it to start with. Attack the issue from both ends, so to speak.

 

Just a thought.

I have a brick wall opposite my house, I'll go and have a chat with it or maybe just bang my head against it, either way the response will be the same.

Unfortunately it will never be policed - too widespread throughout the country. During the sugar cane harvest in the area of Isaan where I used to live, burning was used not only for the waste but also to burn leaves off the canes before cutting!!

 

 

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thai farmers to be told to stop burning farm waste or face legal action

....and with that big, vacant Thai smile on their faces, they all said "Yes"! ????  

43 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Whilst I agree with most of your comment here, I would also add that they should go for the processing company, tell them if they process "Burnt" crop they face a heavy Tax and possible closure. If they dont/wont process burned crops, there is little point in the farmers burning it to start with. Attack the issue from both ends, so to speak.

 

Just a thought.

I like the idea. However, the well capitalized sugar companies have a strong lobby, and Thai governments do the bidding, of the bad industrialists. 

 

So, it would be easier to stop it at the root level. 

35 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Unfortunately it will never be policed - too widespread throughout the country. During the sugar cane harvest in the area of Isaan where I used to live, burning was used not only for the waste but also to burn leaves off the canes before cutting!!

 

 

 

Would it be rude to ask if these asswipes are aware of the damage that they cause not only to peoples health (including their own) but to climate change & pollution problems ?

 

As usual the talking heads in Bangkok will do just that, talk. I've only been living here for close to 10 years, and as you all rightly say, the same empty threats are made at this time of year.

 

Nice picture Bill ????

35 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Unfortunately it will never be policed - too widespread throughout the country. During the sugar cane harvest in the area of Isaan where I used to live, burning was used not only for the waste but also to burn leaves off the canes before cutting!!

 

 

What a beautiful scenic painting.  It captures the burning of the sugar fields exactly as they are.  Such vibrant colors used.  Must have shopped at B2S for your palette of colors, and found the perfect brushes, as I do not see a flaw in your painting at all.  Bravo my good man, bravo..

1 minute ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

Would it be rude to ask if these asswipes are aware of the damage that they cause not only to peoples health (including their own) but to climate change & pollution problems ?

 

As usual the talking heads in Bangkok will do just that, talk. I've only been living here for close to 10 years, and as you all rightly say, the same empty threats are made at this time of year.

 

Nice picture Bill ????

yep. When you are a subsistence farmer, living on the edge of poverty for you and your family, all you can think about is climate change and the impact on the rest of the world. I bet it really keeps them awake at night. 

 

The government  needs to provide realistic alternatives and infrastructure ( incinerators that produce electricity for example)   to them, otherwise it will never stop. . 

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

yep. When you are a subsistence farmer, living on the edge of poverty for you and your family, all you can think about is climate change and the impact on the rest of the world. I bet it really keeps them awake at night. 

 

The government  needs to provide realistic alternatives and infrastructure ( incinerators that produce electricity for example)   to them, otherwise it will never stop. . 

 

I actually have a friend in the incinerator to electricity business, had a meeting at a high level to solve some of the garbage / power problems.

 

1st item on the agenda for this reasonably high ranking person was..................Money for him.

 

As for the subsistence farmers, this government is supposedly dripping in cash, perhaps they ought to organise teams of government or royally sponsered tractors around the nation to help these cash strapped individuals, I take it that you have a purifier in each room ? Or perhaps you don't suffer with breathing difficulties ? Nice that you think of only you, and finally ignorance or poverty are not an excuse. 

6 hours ago, TSF said:

Terrible where I'm living, out in the sticks of rural Korat, what with farmers burning their fields and every local making charcoal, plus the usual burning of trash & plastic. That charcoal burning smells worse....vile stuff, if I walk past one of those fires and the smoke gets in my mouth it's terrible taste, takes hours to get rid of it, yet I see Thais standing around those fires happy as old Larry, breathing in that vile stinking smoke.

 

Same here, I live in Ubon, and there are farm fields directly behind my town. The charcoal burning makes me retch and puke sometimes, it gets that bad.

 

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

they should go for the processing company, tell them if they process "Burnt" crop they face a heavy Tax and possible closure.

Best suggestion yet - and easier to enforce. Place a cop or two at the proccessing plants to check the crops. Burnt crops get sent back and fined. Let's just hope the cops aren't corrupt...

11 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

Same here, I live in Ubon, and there are farm fields directly behind my town. The charcoal burning makes me retch and puke sometimes, it gets that bad.

I breathed some directly in a couple weeks ago, about 100 meters from my home, that stench was in my mouth and nose. I tore home and washed my face, brushed my teeth, rinsed with mouthwash, and sucked a couple of lozenges. I didn't completely get rid of the taste and smell but it was more bearable. How can they stand around those fires breathing that <deleted>?

One thing is for sure, as soon as travel is possible again I shall leave when this kind of air pollution happens.

Same <deleted> lip service every year when the burning season starts. Nothing ever changes with the dinosaurs in charge. Same can can be said about the annual lip service on road fatalities, with zero reduction in deaths. Country comes to a grinding halt due to Covid and yet it has only accounted for 70 deaths.. Thai logic... ????????????

48 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

Let's just hope the cops aren't corrupt...

Thats funny

47 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

I actually have a friend in the incinerator to electricity business, had a meeting at a high level to solve some of the garbage / power problems.

 

1st item on the agenda for this reasonably high ranking person was..................Money for him.

 

As for the subsistence farmers, this government is supposedly dripping in cash, perhaps they ought to organise teams of government or royally sponsered tractors around the nation to help these cash strapped individuals, I take it that you have a purifier in each room ? Or perhaps you don't suffer with breathing difficulties ? Nice that you think of only you, and finally ignorance or poverty are not an excuse. 

good to see that you look at all this from the distorted superiority of a westerner. I see the only people who are really complaining are farangs.  I wonder why they all hang on then, breathing in all the stuff you talk about and that they say in damaging their health? 

 

I don't support at all what the farmers are doing, but I do understand why they are doing it. No, I don't have a purifier, I live in an area unaffected by burning, because I planned it that way.   

21 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

good to see that you look at all this from the distorted superiority of a westerner. I see the only people who are really complaining are farangs.  I wonder why they all hang on then, breathing in all the stuff you talk about and that they say in damaging their health? 

 

I don't support at all what the farmers are doing, but I do understand why they are doing it. No, I don't have a purifier, I live in an area unaffected by burning, because I planned it that way.   

 

FORECAST

Pattaya air quality index (AQI) forecast

Day	Pollution level	Weather	Temperature	Wind
Thursday, Jan 21	Unhealthy 172US AQI
Friday, Jan 22	Unhealthy 165US AQI
Saturday, Jan 23	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 140US AQI
Today	Moderate 89US AQI		28°24°	10.8 km/h

Interested in hourly forecast? Get the app

Historic also

So this is okay for you is it ????  ????????????????

5 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

FORECAST

Pattaya air quality index (AQI) forecast

Day	Pollution level	Weather	Temperature	Wind
Thursday, Jan 21	Unhealthy 172US AQI
Friday, Jan 22	Unhealthy 165US AQI
Saturday, Jan 23	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 140US AQI
Today	Moderate 89US AQI		28°24°	10.8 km/h

Interested in hourly forecast? Get the app

Historic also

So this is okay for you is it ????  ????????????????

Fine. I don't live in Pattaya. 

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

All provincial governors in Thailand have been told to stop the burning of agricultural waste in their provinces.

Will they be fired for failing to do their duties if they don't stop the burning? No? Thought so...

9 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Fine. I don't live in Pattaya. 

 

Okay no problem, Chonburi is just as bad, or don't you live there any more either ? You really need to keep your profile up to date or leave it blank, I think very few places except maybe down South are healthy these days,  ever mind, enjoy your evening. ????

1 minute ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

Okay no problem, Chonburi is just as bad, or don't you live there any more either ? You really need to keep your profile up to date or leave it blank, I think very few places except maybe down South are healthy these days,  ever mind, enjoy your evening. ????

I don't live in the City of Chon Buri either. It is up to date, but thank you for your interest. 

4 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I don't live in the City of Chon Buri either. It is up to date, but thank you for your interest. 

I was talking about the province of Chonburi, but hey never mind ????????????

3 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

I was talking about the province of Chonburi, but hey never mind ????????????

Just so you can sleep tonight without worrying too much about me;  I live around 200 m from the Chon Buri/ Rayong Province border. Clear skies around here most of the year.  There,  you can now rest, confident  that I am relatively safe from an airborne attack of particulates, at least for tonight .  

4 hours ago, Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai said:

Looking out from my back patio. 15.30 today. Burning San Kamphaeng, this not farmland. Been going on for a week now off and on. Would be government land.

This is disgraceful.

1 hour ago, condohope said:

One thing is for sure, as soon as travel is possible again I shall leave when this kind of air pollution happens.

at last, a sensible comment 

9 hours ago, colinneil said:

All the farmers are just laughing their socks off, hearing the same thing every year.

As usual it will be all talk, no action.

Taken 2 days ago very near me baled sugar cane straw ,the bales are known as big  high densitie bales  ,each one weighs 300 kg ,they were this stack plus another stack  like it  500 yards away.

All this straw comes from a good few hundred rie ,and they is a lot more where this has come from .

And it means a good few hundred rie not going up in smoke .

Maybe a just a drop in the ocean but it is a start, this straw will be going for Bio Fuel.