Thai PM orders all agencies to step up efforts to address PM2.5 dust problem

[Snig27]

This broken, corrupt, creep personally killed an air quality bill a year or so ago because it impacted his mates, the large corporations who bear much of the responsibility for this annual (and worsening) poisoning of the Thai people. 

 

How many kids will have their lives forever impacted by his actions (or lack of actions) over the years?

[Burma Bill]

On 3/11/2023 at 4:52 AM, uncommonomo said:

Water bomb ................. Cambodia?

Great idea! There is a current water shortage for our farmers here in Khmer Land'

 

"Paddy farmers are on a race against time to finish farming as they fear water shortage to irrigate their fields during the dry season"

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501216811/paddy-farmers-racing-against-time/

[Elkski]

Good thing tourism is hurting.  Monetary reasons are the only way this problem will ever be addressed. Maybe by 2084

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

So there is an environmental minister? Never would have guessed it.

Well he doesn't get out much, but you'd think he'd see the smog holed up in Bangkok.

[Gknrd]

I've tried living there a few times, but the pollution is so bad during the burning months it made life miserable. 

[mrfill]

Wonderfully trivialised by describing it as 'dust'.

A quick once over with the Hoover to solve it perhaps?

[thailand49]

Did he fix the traffic in Bangkok tough to make things happen when you really aren't in charge. 

[Doowat]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:03 AM, Isaan sailor said:

International problems require international solutions.  China remains the world’s leading air polluter, and they’re bringing on more coal-fired energy plants.  India also contributes to air pollution in SE Asia.  And farmers in SEAsia continue to burn fields before the planting season.  One country acting alone cannot make much difference.

Quite right but try telling that to the virtue signallers in western countries.

[metisdead]

A post containing content from the Bangkok Post has been removed:

 

16. The Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Pattaya Mail, Phuket News and the Thaiger do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on ASEAN NOW. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to the Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Pattaya Mail, Phuket News and the Thaiger publications will be deleted from the forum. These restrictions are put in place by the above publications, not by ASEAN NOW. In rare cases, forum administrators or the news team may use these sources under special permission.

[Sydebolle]

Blame on the hill tribes, like every year - as long as you do not <deleted> into the soup of the industrial agricultural big wigs. Driving from Bangkok to Chiang Mai a few weeks ago was proof enough, that along the entire stretch of +/- 500kms the fields were burning/burnt ...... yet I could not see a single hill tribe person. 

Either hill tribes are excellent in hiding, have ghosty abilities or the real culprits are sitting on the back seat of an air-conditioned chauffeur-driven limousine. 

Just wait and see what happens, if a Royal Thai Airforce is unable to land anywhere North outside Bangkok due to haze ... 

[Jiggo]

Load of rubbish the pollutants are in the air due to burning in Thailand and nabouring countries, same problem every year.

A few years ago they where hosing the air with water in Bangkok 

[Balance]

Seems like something got missed like field burning?

[newnative]

Another useless 'order'.   Year after year, PM 'orders' agencies to vaguely work together about this problem or that problem.  "Step up efforts'--what the hell does that mean and who exactly is it addressed to?   Useless.   Just blah blah blah.   No action, just weak reaction, and little of that.  

[MadMac]

Same BS, just another year.

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, MadMac said:

Same BS, just another year.

100% agreed.... its exactly the same BS as every previous year. 

 

While Thailand has many wonderful facets (I have to add that comment so some butthurt Thai apologist won’t accuse me of being a Thai-basher !!)... one of the most frustrating things about living in Thailand is the utter apathy with which extremely serious issues are dealt with (seasonal pollution / burnings / Pedestrian safety / Road Safety / Water Safety (especially for children)....

 

There is an often overwhelming absence of ‘<deleted><ks given’ about many facets of life here in Thailand... That makes Thailand both a thoroughly enjoyable place to live, but also brings with it the numerous negatives we witness here. 

 

Both an enigma and utterly tragic at the same time. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Al BB]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:53 AM, whitfield said:

Everyone knows it comes from crop burning across SE Asia.  Why do they burn?  Because they don't own tractors to turn the soil over, so burning is the cheapest way.  Now for the cost of 3 submarines you could buy 28,000 tractors, enough for three in every agricultural tambon.  You could rent them out for a nominal fee and over time the investment would pay for itself.  Immediately the nation would see an improvement in health.  But of course defense of the realm must take priority over the nation's health.

This Gov / Junta, gives subsidies to all manner of things (Travel, Shopping etc) How about Farming subsidies / cheap loans to buy machinery to harvest crops? BTW, always making sure the subsidy isn't used to buy the latest Pick Up.

[marcusb]

Travelling in North Thailand along the Laos border.  Lots of fires of course, of all natures, rice waste, corn, clear cut, garbage, etc etc

 

Here's something I noticed through quite a few areas. They have "raked' from 5 meters up the hills down into the ditch. Branches, leaves, trees.  This is not a mushroom area, this is not someones field. This is cleaning government land the cheap and easy way.  The money for clearing the scrub and burning must be indirectly coming from the govt.  
And yeah, the little firebugs scatter as soon as they hear a vehicle. 

[mommysboy]

20 hours ago, mrfill said:

Wonderfully trivialised by describing it as 'dust'.

A quick once over with the Hoover to solve it perhaps?

'Haze' is the other favourite term.

[Mr Dome]

Unless they start prohibiting the most polluting engines & activities, which would lead to immediate problems & issues, this will take decades to fix. And it will get worse before it gets better and contribute to the premature deaths of tens of thousands.

 

Used to live in Bangkok & Chiang Mai and am glad I don't anymore.

[PremiumLane]

9 hours ago, Doowat said:

Quite right but try telling that to the virtue signallers in western countries.

you mean where they have clean air? 

[SiSePuede419]

Thai rain dance?

 

Could work. ????

 

[zzaa09]

8 hours ago, Balance said:

Seems like something got missed like field burning?

Or the bigger picture.

[Rimbuman]

On 3/10/2023 at 2:53 PM, jacko45k said:

Oh no, now we will get the anti mask cry babies chucking their toys again!

You can breathe with your nappy on, I won't have any of that.

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:49 AM, phetphet said:

They should get a load of propeller driven planes to fly from north to south and blow it out to sea. ????

Some Thai official has read this and thinks it is a good idea. 

[Stargeezr]

If a lot of the pollution is coming from countries around Thailand as well as in Thailand, this

yearly pollution will never change. All Asian countries have to get serious, before anything will change.

Blaming the Thai government is just foolish, as all of Asia is to blame.

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, Rimbuman said:

You can breathe with your nappy on, I won't have any of that.

The problem ATM is it is difficult and the air unhealthy ... if you want to breathe it it is up to you... but you should keep the nappy on your face to hold things in!