Anutin Orders Stricter Measures to Curb Burning and Reduce PM 2.5

[MalcolmB]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Real men act. Small men yak, yak and make proclamations and then never do anything about them. That is just who you are. 

I am tipping Anutin is  bigger man than you, flies his own planes, powerful in the federal government, successful in business, house on 700 Rai with personal golf course.

 

 

[MalcolmB]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Stop the smoking of weed would be a good start.

Set and example.

Tobacco smoke is nasty, but the stink of weed everywhere is offensive.

Harden up

[outsidetrader]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Anutin Charnvirakul. File photo courtesy: Thai Rath

 

Thailand’s Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul mandated provincial governors and district officers nationwide to enforce strict measures against burning activities to reduce PM2.5 pollution. Offenders will face legal consequences.

 

On 22nd January 2025, Traisulee Traisoranakul, Secretary to the Interior Minister and Ministry spokesperson, reported that due to current weather conditions, many areas across the country are suffering from increased PM2.5 pollution, adversely affecting public health.

 

To address this, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed all provincial governors to issue directives to their district officers.

 

The aim is to monitor air quality closely and implement measures that prevent open burning, particularly in agricultural areas and the burning of waste, which are major sources of toxic dust.

 

The ministerial directive also emphasises collaboration between governors, district officers, and relevant agencies to inspect and educate the public on the adverse effects of pollution and the necessary control measures. Non-compliance with these rules will result in strict legal action.

 

Traisulee highlighted that the minister expressed concerns over weather conditions that trap pollutants, worsening the PM2.5 crisis and posing a severe health risk to the public.

 

Therefore, authorities nationwide are urged to implement a no-burning policy rigorously, increase inspection frequency, and ensure compliance, with penalties enforced against violators as the problem of air pollution remains a significant threat to public health, reported Daily News.

 

-- 2025-01-23

 

 

 

 

I was,hoping he would have taken the donkeys years old buses off the streets in BKK and replace with new when he was the .minister of Transport :(

[lordgrinz]

22 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I am tipping Anutin is  bigger man than you, flies his own planes, powerful in the federal government, successful in business, house on 700 Rai with personal golf course.

 

 

 

He's a scumbag politician and another Nepobaby.

[Will B Good]

23 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I am tipping Anutin is  bigger man than you, flies his own planes, powerful in the federal government, successful in business, house on 700 Rai with personal golf course.

 

 

 

 

All of which screams corruption.

[sambum]

Yes, the fires might spread to his cannabis plants - can't have that! 🙂 

[sambum]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

What a goon. Such insincerity. Crack down on the refiners who accept burnt sugar. No? They are too rich, and they are all your friends? Exposed again with your callous lies? 

 

Real men act. Small men yak, yak and make proclamations and then never do anything about them. That is just who you are. 

 

Bravo! This problem has been there for years and after years of empty rhetoric it is still there, and will stay there for years to come until something is actually DONE about it!

[GarryP]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

What a goon. Such insincerity. Crack down on the refiners who accept burnt sugar. No? They are too rich, and they are all your friends? Exposed again with your callous lies? 

 

Real men act. Small men yak, yak and make proclamations and then never do anything about them. That is just who you are. 

A lot of the burning I have seen so far in my neck of the woods, is post harvest burning of dry sugar cane leaves, i.e. the actual harvested sugar cane is not burnt. 

 

In addition to that is rice field stubble burning as it is cheaper that hiring someone to plough in the stubble. I've also seen verges being burnt, including by local district offices, the burning of dry grass and other plants on the side of small mountains and between fields (saw a monk doing this very recently).

 

Something needs to be done for sure, but it is not so straightforward. As you say, every year someone in the government parrots on about this but never really does anything. Just repeats the same garbage.   

[newbee2022]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

It would take much regulation, enforcement, and billions of dollars to fix this issue.  Bottom line it will never happen ever, just get worse.

I don't agree. At least it's becoming an urgent issue, also because of rising health service costs. To tackle the problems means to find out where and how. And how to monitor and fine it. But even fines will probably not stop it immediately. The education by parents, Kindergarten, schools is the key. And can be a game changer. Long road to go.

[Theforgotten1]

I’ve just had a sizable piece of land cleared all the trees and stuff is piled at the back of the ground , I was told wait till it starts to dry and then start burning it , I wanted it all burying but they said take too long , too much money . I am looking for someone else to dig a hole , I want the goodness staying in my ground not spreading around in the air , I’m too kinee ow 

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

If they have a tractor, will that stop the burning?

It could help. My father in law hires someone to plough in the stubble in his rice fields, but many simply just burn the stubble. It could be because they can't afford to hire someone to plough in their fields so if each district had tractors for hire at minimum cost/subsidized more farmers may be willing to plough rather than burn. 

[Gandtee]

He can order what he likes. Will anyone take notice?

[sambum]

3 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Stop the smoking of weed would be a good start.

Set and example.

Tobacco smoke is nasty, but the stink of weed everywhere is offensive.

 

"Stop the smoking of weed would be a good start........."

 

Rubbish! A good start would be on the vehicles emitting clouds of black smoke, and post photos of the arrested drivers AND  owners to show that something is actually being DONE about it.

 

I have lived here for nearly 20 years and have yet to see police stop a vehicle for emitting too much smoke, but there are plenty of vehicles doing it!

[craighj]

😷😷😷😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

 

Yep, every year empty promises and every year air quality which is a disgrace.

 

Auntin we know is a clown, as are most of the politicans here.

[sambum]

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Billions of dollars to let the police do their work?

 

Do you not mean to GET the police to do their work?

[connda]

The Thai forests in Northern Thailand will be on fire soon to clear underbrush for rainy season mushrooms - and nobody will see anything. 

[Utalk2mutt]

Lived here nearly 8 years same rhetoric every year and not one thing changes. Same old lip service and zero action. Forgive me if I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth Anutin.

[Forrests Father]

Not even the local amphurs or moo bans following the government’s instructions. Last weekend a mini marathon around lake Maprachan in Pong close to Pattaya. Some genius orderd that the shrubs along the lake need to be burned. 

[Coxy]

The police drive past the fields being burned everyday and do nothing

[denishuahin]

Let us get practical. My problem last week was that I had a 10-meter tree fall. This makes a lot of mess and leaves branches and a trunk, you don't want. A year ago I had 6 large trees cut down the workers took the trunks and large branches away.  About 7  truckloads. They were supposed to clear the garden of all the smaller debris, as that was the deal, they got the wood free. 
They never came back, very normal with rural workers. 
What are you supposed to do with all this put it out for the garbage collectors? 
 Many people will put rubbish in their trucks, drive down the nearest dirt road, set fire to it, or just dump it. In my village, there are small fires outside houses every day, collectively making a large area of burning matter.
I put my bottles, cans, and any metal in a large bin bag, put it out on the side of the road, and it was gone within an hour and recycled.
In England, I had a large plot and had to cut and clear trees, which you can remove and take to the local refuse and reclaiming facility.  This is what is needed here.
But maybe this is too hard technically for the government at the moment or maybe there’s no money in it for them.    

[sambum]

2 hours ago, Woke to Sounds of Horking said:

 

A grave mistake by the Thai govt was to legalise weed.

 

Now every punk from Norwich to North Dakota wants to come here to get high... eventually leading to trouble.

 

Idiots.

 

".........eventually leading to trouble."

 

I have never seen "potheads" causing "trouble". Whereas on the other hand, alcohol and yabba/meth.............!

[GregKeo]

There's an organisation, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) that is perfectly suited to driving progress on pollution from the top down. It isn't only Thailand and Cambodia poisoning the air we breathe and only a concerted effort by all will move the dial.

* Agree on action to begin to bring air pollution levels down

* Legislate provincial laws with penalties for failing

* Educate farmers on best practices and subsidise them to modernise practices and equipment

* Legislate vehicle emission standards and police drivers/owners with strict financial penalties

* Assist with incentives to speed the transition to EV transport.

 

Of course there is much more - for example the tourism industries should be pressuring governments to reduce pollution before tourists choose cleaner air and destinations. Periodic directives won't cut it.

 

What will it take to have government leaders to act in the best interests of other than their own?

[rumeaug]

I am not an expert so forgive me if i say something dumb.  Prohibiting sounds great, but does just doing that help solve the issue , meaning,  do most people/farmers who resort to burninghave a choice currently /have the financial means to choose an alternative.

[sambum]

48 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I am tipping Anutin is  bigger man than you, flies his own planes, powerful in the federal government, successful in business, house on 700 Rai with personal golf course.

 

 

And that makes him well qualified to do what exactly - apart from make money? 

[sambum]

5 minutes ago, GregKeo said:

There's an organisation, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) that is perfectly suited to driving progress on pollution from the top down. It isn't only Thailand and Cambodia poisoning the air we breathe and only a concerted effort by all will move the dial.

* Agree on action to begin to bring air pollution levels down

* Legislate provincial laws with penalties for failing

* Educate farmers on best practices and subsidise them to modernise practices and equipment

* Legislate vehicle emission standards and police drivers/owners with strict financial penalties

* Assist with incentives to speed the transition to EV transport.

 

Of course there is much more - for example the tourism industries should be pressuring governments to reduce pollution before tourists choose cleaner air and destinations. Periodic directives won't cut it.

 

What will it take to have government leaders to act in the best interests of other than their own?

 

"What will it take to have government leaders to act in the best interests of other than their own?"

 

A lot more than a concerned poster on AseanNow!

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

A day late and dollar short.....

 

And will anybody listen / act? Not holding my breath, because the farmers have strong support from the giant food manufacturing companies etc., who can easily override / ignore Anutin.  

[worgeordie]

The smoke problem up here in Chiang Mai is villagers burning the forest so its

ready to collect mushrooms when the rainy season starts again.

 

The Authorities know where the burning is going to start ,and when because

it's the same every year ,if they got they Army (think there not too busy) Police,

Volunteers  ,get them up in the hills , use drones ,catch a couple of arsonists

take them to court and make an example out of them 5-10 years , should be

a dettrant for others , talk talk talk nothing is going to change , this is a serious

problem that affects peoples health ,people die because of it, tourism is

affected by the smoke , but nothing gets done....

 

regards Worgeordie

 

[sambum]

15 minutes ago, denishuahin said:

Let us get practical. My problem last week was that I had a 10-meter tree fall. This makes a lot of mess and leaves branches and a trunk, you don't want. A year ago I had 6 large trees cut down the workers took the trunks and large branches away.  About 7  truckloads. They were supposed to clear the garden of all the smaller debris, as that was the deal, they got the wood free. 
They never came back, very normal with rural workers. 
What are you supposed to do with all this put it out for the garbage collectors? 
 Many people will put rubbish in their trucks, drive down the nearest dirt road, set fire to it, or just dump it. In my village, there are small fires outside houses every day, collectively making a large area of burning matter.
I put my bottles, cans, and any metal in a large bin bag, put it out on the side of the road, and it was gone within an hour and recycled.
In England, I had a large plot and had to cut and clear trees, which you can remove and take to the local refuse and reclaiming facility.  This is what is needed here.
But maybe this is too hard technically for the government at the moment or maybe there’s no money in it for them.    

 

Your last phrase says it all!

[khunjeff]

A lot of "mandating", "ordering", "directing", and "instructing", but nothing in the way of actual policies to stop the smoke.

[CygnusX1]

Love the large number of ‘amused face’ emojis next to the original post, says it all about the justified cynicism of posters here. Today’s the worst it’s been so far at Jomtien, previous days the island of Koh Larn has begun to very hazily emerge from the murk by midday, but at 1245, it’s still completely invisible. Still going for my long morning swim and beach walks, at my age haven’t too many years left anyway, though I do worry about the developing lungs of the Russian kids on the beach. Mind you, some of them probably come from industrial towns with even worse air.