Thailand’s PM Misses the Forest for the Trees on the Country’s Pollution Problem

[webfact]

 

Srettha Thavisin has pledged to tackle Thailand’s horrific air pollution problem, but he needs to address the root of the problem.

 

Thailand’s Chiang Mai now has airborne pollutants that are 20 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Last week, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declined to designate the northern city as a disaster area in order to protect the country’s tourism sector. In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Srettha expressed worries that the announcement would “affect the number of foreign tourists when tourism has just recovered in the wake of COVID-19.”

 

Some questioned the optics of the decision, suggesting that the Thai government instead focus more on the health and quality of life of its residents. A declaration of a disaster zone would have entitled the province to emergency funds for mitigation purposes.

 

Srettha’s decision is crudely pragmatic and arguably shortsighted. What is more beneficial to Chiang Mai, and the north of Thailand as a whole, is the acceleration of sustainable solutions to a problem that transcends provincial and national borders and has a long-term effect on the health the Thai public, as well as impacting Thailand’s reputation as a premier tourist destination.

 

The scourge of PM2.5 pollution, or harmful particulate matter that measure 2.5 microns or less in diameter, is much more widespread than in just Chiang Mai alone, and will not be solved without a combined whole-of-government and private sector solution. First, the particulate matter comes from a number of sources: transportation, energy, agricultural burning, and industrial sources. The result is a dreary and toxic haze that is dispersed from its origin to neighboring areas.

 

By Mark S. Cogan

File photo

 

Full story: THE DIPLOMAT 2024-03-23

 

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[stoner]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

Srettha Thavisin has pledged to tackle Thailand’s horrific air pollution problem, but he needs to address the root of the problem.

 

this is easy....just look in the mirror thailand. 

[bamnutsak]

The PM can barely color coordinate his shirt, scarf and socks so expecting him to do something, anything about the air quality issue is unreasonable.

 

He is so clearly in over his head it would be comical if the consequences weren't so dire.

 

You know he's lost the plot when he says that gigantic buffaloes are "soft power".

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/policies/40036555

 

I know he made a pledge to stay in Thailand for two months but honestly the country might be better off if he were to continue his international tour.

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, bamnutsak said:

The PM can barely color coordinate his shirt, scarf and socks so expecting him to do something, anything about the air quality issue is unreasonable.

 

He is so clearly in over his head it would be comical if the consequences weren't so dire.

 

You know he's lost the plot when he says that gigantic buffaloes are "soft power".

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/policies/40036555

 

I know he made a pledge to stay in Thailand for two months but honestly the country might be better off if he were to continue his international tour.

 

No, surely at 6ft 4 he cannot be in over his head!

[Pique Dard]

38 minutes ago, webfact said:

Srettha expressed worries that the announcement would “affect the number of foreign tourists when tourism has just recovered in the wake of COVID-19.”

..now what do you think tourists will react if they read your statements?

[brianthainess]

Never thought in a million years I would say this, Bring back Prayuth, this clown we have now is a worse PM than him. maybe 

[BE88]

16 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Never thought in a million years I would say this, Bring back Prayuth, this clown we have now is a worse PM than him. maybe 

 

The current economic crisis and in most of Prayuth do you still want it to continue to get worse????

 

There is no doubt that this is a clown with his different coloured socks that he boasts about wearing but it was the plan of the real PM who doesn't like farangs and who is trying to eliminate as many of us as possible from the soil of Thailand with new taxes and various trifles .

 

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declined to designate the northern city as a disaster area in order to protect the country’s tourism sector.

It's in the international news you idiot.

[spidermike007]

He will do absolutely anything in his power to avoid saying no to his Big Agra buddies, who are causing an apocalypse and a horrific health hazard for the Thai people. Sugar burning must stop and the easiest way to do that would be to regulate sugar refiners and force them to ensure that sugar growers are not burning their crops.

 

Are they interested in doing that? Absolutely not. Is Sretta interested in solving this problem? Absolutely not. Is he a good Pm? No, he's one of the worst, and is a do nothing leader. 

[Gknrd]

I am chocking just looking at that and remembering the last few years before I left. A death trap for retiree's and tourists.

[sammieuk1]

Now that big joke and big ballsak are in the office attention may have been shifted to the 3 o'clock at Newmarket 🤔

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Srettha Thavisin has pledged to tackle Thailand’s horrific air pollution problem, but he needs to address the root of the problem.

Burning.... it's simple.

[Gottfrid]

Yeah, it´s great to live in Chiang Mai, I have heard numerous times on this forum. In reality, that can only be if one want´s to die quick.

[Brian Hull]

PM - Stop worrying about what would-be tourists think of Chiang Mai's pollution disgrace - JUST FIX IT

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, Pique Dard said:

..now what do you think tourists will react if they read your statements?

There's also the point that tourists may well be angry at not being fully informed that the places they are traveling too are not really fit for humanity and they should have been told.

[kingstonkid]

12 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

The PM can barely color coordinate his shirt, scarf and socks so expecting him to do something, anything about the air quality issue is unreasonable.

 

He is so clearly in over his head it would be comical if the consequences weren't so dire.

 

You know he's lost the plot when he says that gigantic buffaloes are "soft power".

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/policies/40036555

 

I know he made a pledge to stay in Thailand for two months but honestly the country might be better off if he were to continue his international tour.

 

 

 

 

Hey, don't laugh too hard. According to climate activists cows are a major part of the pollution and climate problem

 

The same reason that cows are part of the probelm can be also attributed to a lot of expats at bars.

 

 

 

[mikebell]

Baht first; health second.  

[Stargeezr]

The root of the problem is, Asia and the burning of debris aftrer harvest.

  Thailand can not do anything if , Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

keep burnign their debris.  Posters who think this is only a Thailand problem

are sadly just wrong.  IMO

 

[Moonlover]

2 minutes ago, Stargeezr said:

The root of the problem is, Asia and the burning of debris aftrer harvest.

  Thailand can not do anything if , Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

keep burnign their debris.  Posters who think this is only a Thailand problem

are sadly just wrong.  IMO

 

Absolutely right. Airborne pollution knows no borders. Until there is an ASEAN wide holistic approach, nothing much will be achieved.

 

Although in our region of Thailand there has been quite a lot of progress as far as agriculture is concerned. I've lived in the rural north east for 8 years now and the amount of field burning has been greatly reduced thanks to mechanization. Consequently we enjoy a fairly good standard of air quality.

 

But we are just one small region and I sympathize with those who have to put up with this crappy air day after day.

 

I might also point out that castigating the Prime Minister isn't going to achieve very much either.

[kwilco]

Deniers of pollution in the North  seem to spend a lot of time in deflection.

They question the sources and try to blame outside countries.

The thing is a combination of climate and topography makes it in evitable that pollution with accumulate is certain areas in the North - trying to say "your area" is OK thanks to less of one thing or another is not true - the causes and effects are not that simple. but one factor remains they are ALL the result of human activity.

One major source of PM2.5 particles is biomass burning - blaming forest fires again is a red herring - although fire is part of the natural cycle in any forest it is man-made interference that exacerbates the situation

Another is traffic and yet another industry.

One of the problems in tackling the problem is the "ruling elite" themselves - for instance rice as a commodity is controlled by a small rich "family" who are also very close to government - this means enforcement of biomass burning in agriculture - already illegal - is seldom fully enforced as the pressure to grow more rice more quickly overrides this.

Other agricultural products are also involved notable sugar and maize.

In the forests most fire again are the result of mismanages  human activity - either slash and burn or harvesting forest products like mushrooms.

All this together with industrial waste and traffic pollution would not be so bad if it was for the geography of places like Chiang Mai which makes them a magnet for this modern-day smog.

As a result of the big vested interests it would seem the  government really has no teeth when it comes to dealing with this. It boils down to how many deaths amongst the Thai population have to occur for the government to finally take action.

[Gknrd]

It is not going to change in our lifetime. Question is what do you do? Since this is an expat forum, the answer is you leave if you want to live a healthy life. If not then you stay and deal with it. 

 

[marcusb]

9 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

Posters who think this is only a Thailand problem

are sadly just wrong.  IMO

Yes, but you cant complain that the neighbours yard is a huge mess until you clean your own. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 3/23/2024 at 11:42 AM, spidermike007 said:

He will do absolutely anything in his power to avoid saying no to his Big Agra buddies, who are causing an apocalypse and a horrific health hazard for the Thai people. Sugar burning must stop and the easiest way to do that would be to regulate sugar refiners and force them to ensure that sugar growers are not burning their crops.

 

The Thai sugar companies are run by big, powerful mafia families, and you don't take them head on.

 

I remember back in the late 90's Kasit Thai Sugar executives assassinated Australian investigator Michael Wansley, when he uncovered financial malpractice.

 

Sugar mill owner Pradit Siriviriyakul allegedly bribed Police $4m and said "it was good the foreigner is dead", yet he was acquitted by three judges.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/thailand-reverses-death-sentences-for-two-men-who-murdered-australian-michael-wansley-20150225-13oy7r.html 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

The problem for most of Thailand is mainly from the burning in neighbouring countries - as clearly shown on this NASA satellite fire website.  But the Thai Provinces near Chiang Mai also has its own fires that match those in other countries. 

 

 

 

 

 

[MangoKorat]

There are all sorts of reasons being given for the air pollution the North is experiencing.  However, those I know who live in the area place the blame squarely at the feet of the farmers who burn Sugar Beet.  Seeing this going on a different area with less dangerous but significant effects, I tend to believe that explanation.

 

So, as usual the Thai government is doing a lot of talking about how to deal with the air pollution when it seems that simple enforcement of the law would fix the problem.

 

Just like tha annual 'Road Safety' 'announcements' which are almost due with Songkran just around the corner - there is no point in any 'discussions' or 'directives' - just bloody enforce the law!

 

Why are these two items - road safety and air pollution the subject of these talks every year? By May it will all be forgotten about for another year but nothing will have changed on either matter.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

The Thai sugar companies are run by big, powerful mafia families, and you don't take them head on.

 

I remember back in the late 90's Kasit Thai Sugar executives assassinated Australian investigator Michael Wansley, when he uncovered financial malpractice.

 

Sugar mill owner Pradit Siriviriyakul allegedly bribed Police $4m and said "it was good the foreigner is dead", yet he was acquitted by three judges.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/thailand-reverses-death-sentences-for-two-men-who-murdered-australian-michael-wansley-20150225-13oy7r.html 

You just wonder if perhaps there isn't a time and a place where the public needs to take things into their own hands and do what need to be done to bring order back to society. 

[thesetat]

19 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

The root of the problem is, Asia and the burning of debris aftrer harvest.

  Thailand can not do anything if , Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

keep burnign their debris.  Posters who think this is only a Thailand problem

are sadly just wrong.  IMO

 

They may be part of it.. But that is uncontrollable in Thailand. However to take no action at all and even to refuse making it a disaster zone for breathing simply due to a possible loss of tourist dollars is irresponsible. If he is unwilling to be part of the solution and uncaring about the people who come or live there then why is he still the PM? He is only part of the problem that will create even more problems in the future. 

I wonder what would happen if someone filed a lawsuit against the PM for his failure to warn people by making it a disaster zone for breathing. Suing them for failing to act that caused even more sickness or death. Even a tourist could do that I suppose if the conditions existed. 

[scorecard]

10 hours ago, Gknrd said:

It is not going to change in our lifetime. Question is what do you do? Since this is an expat forum, the answer is you leave if you want to live a healthy life. If not then you stay and deal with it. 

 

But where is utopia?

[kwilco]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:23 PM, Gknrd said:

It is not going to change in our lifetime. Question is what do you do? Since this is an expat forum, the answer is you leave if you want to live a healthy life. If not then you stay and deal with it. 

 

How will you deal with it?

[kwilco]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:23 PM, Gknrd said:

It is not going to change in our lifetime

Well ...it is going to shorten your lifetime.

Even short term exposure can do this.

Read this article in WSJ.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/air-quality-life-expectancy-1db62d94

 

Video.

https://www.wsj.com/video/daily-feature-apps-to-check-air-quality/8DE0A54E-EDB5-40DA-8B15-F769D8CCDBC9.html