Yesterday the discriminatory alcohol laws, to be enforced with 10K Baht fines. Today the out of control crop burning, which is a VERY SERIOUS threat to each individual. So, where are the 100K Baht fines to put a stop to a SERIOUS THREAT to loss of life!? If these people had the brains of a rocking horse, they would still be stupid.

1 hour ago, Tailwagsdog said:

Fine the farm smokers, then they will put it in a corner and compost the waste. In sugar cane fields the best method is to harvest green,  the harvester skins off the leaves and it is sold dry as a garden weed free soil cover, keeping the soil moist. Much better than burning & suffocating 20 million people & their kids

The answer you will get, as sure as eggs is eggs. You not understand Thai ways!

Same damn story year after year! 

What Thailand needs is something like a National Guard.  Send in the troops to wherever there is murderous behaviour and it (pollution and other social problems) will soon be solved.

Stupid, 
more stupid,
Thai farmer

This explains it, like it or not, what Thai farmers seem to have in their skulls. They suffocate their own families, own livestock and are a serious health hazard to the rest of the population. 

Getting this under control would be soooooo easy (requires cooperation between police, helicopter Air Force and the land department) apart from adjustments in the respective law articles. Helicopters identify the exact location, the land department can, based on the location, identify the land title deed and the police slaps a very juicy fine of at least five digits onto the registered land owner. If he leased out the plot, he still remains responsible and can deal with the lessee directly. A second incident would result in a jail sentence of a month, a third incident a combination of both. No cash for the fine = confiscate the land title and eventual usufruct until the matter is settled. 

That's how such problems are addressed and not this pussyfooting of spraying water fogs all over Bangkok and other funny ideas ....... deal with the source and not the symptoms! 

...Seems Idiotic... (?)

...'Farm Waste' Is Fertilizer, Isn't It... (?)

...Then The Broke Farmers Are Obliged To Buy Chemical Fertilizers...On Credit...(?)

...Insane...If Not Criminal...(?)

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

This is the East not the West....

It's always the same with that man, one moment you're not allowed to compare it to the West and now he's doing it himself, strange individual.

Just now, mfd101 said:

What noone above or in the OP mentions is the possibility of POSITIVE action to help poor peasant farmers change their ways ... So how about a scheme to PAY farmers to otherwise dispose of their post-crop waste?

 

No cooperation no pay.

 

That would change things, and without ineffective police intervention.

That would mean that the millers, middle men, corporations, supermarkets, civil servants and politicians woild receive less of their 'fair' share. 

4 hours ago, Tailwagsdog said:

Fine the farm smokers, then they will put it in a corner and compost the waste. In sugar cane fields the best method is to harvest green,  the harvester skins off the leaves and it is sold dry as a garden weed free soil cover, keeping the soil moist. Much better than burning & suffocating 20 million people & their kids

Don't hold your breath that it will happen!😆

I iive just outside a small village in rural Sakon Nakhon. Not only do most rice farmers burn the stubble but the village of approximately 1500 people has no rubbish collection. Of course most residents burn their rubbish including plastics. The main village 3km away has daily rubbish collection!

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

File photo for reference only

 

Air pollution across Thailand intensifies as open-field burning of farm waste persists, marking the onset of another smog-heavy winter. Despite public warnings, the practice remains prevalent due to its cost-effectiveness and convenience for farmers. The capital, Bangkok, is experiencing rising PM2.5 levels, signaling deteriorating air quality in the months ahead.

 

The recurring air pollution crisis is closely tied to Thailand's cool season. Over the past decade, seasonal winds have consistently transported a mix of dust and fine particulate matter from surrounding regions into Thailand's airspace. As the winds weaken early in the year, pollutants become trapped in low-lying areas, leading to a range of respiratory health issues for millions.

 

Authorities acknowledge that the problem of open-field burning is widespread and solutions have thus far been inadequate. They emphasize that effective resolution will require broader regional collaboration beyond current measures, which have failed to curb the scale of pollution.

 

Bangkok's latest air quality measurements reveal a mixed picture. As of November 9, 2025, the city's average PM2.5 level was 20.7 µg/m³, which remains below the national safety threshold. However, districts such as Prawet and Lat Krabang recorded higher PM2.5 levels, reaching 35.5 µg/m³ and 35.1 µg/m³, respectively. Eastern Bangkok reported the highest concentrations, classified as moderate, while other areas maintained "good" quality levels.

 

Despite the relatively favorable current conditions, officials caution that PM2.5 will likely increase during the cool season. The combination of continued farm burning and stagnant winter air presents a significant risk for developing hazardous smog conditions. Health experts recommend that residents, especially those with pre-existing respiratory or heart conditions, regularly check air quality updates, limit time outdoors, and use protective masks as needed.

 

Looking forward, with no signs of reduced crop burning, Thailand faces the prospect of another challenging winter. Cooperation on a regional scale and innovative solutions are critical to reversing the persistent pollution trend.

 

Key Takeaways

• Open-field burning of farm waste significantly worsens air pollution.
• Bangkok's PM2.5 levels vary across districts but currently remain mostly below safety limits.
• Authorities emphasize the need for regional cooperation to address pollution.

 

Related Stories:

Bangkok Acts to Manage Haze with New Pollution Controls

Bangkok Enforces Stricter Diesel Smoke Limit from 1 November

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Nation 2025-11-10

 

 

here we go again, exact same words, exact same PM2.5... when will this change?

 

I live in N/W Thailand and we have had a large amount of rain, so I do not know where these fires are the article is pertaining to be burning. The sugarcane in these provinces is not Open for the season as All the mills are closed till late next month. The article needs more details to support the author's claims.

third world country, corruption

5 hours ago, Muhendis said:

There is a problem which can be resolved by paying the farmers a decent living wage.

Burning sugar cane to remove the foliage or burning the residue after rice harvesting is done because, in the case of sugar cane, it saves labour costs and in the case of rice residue, it saves the cost of ploughing.

Taking legal action against these low paid farmers is entirely the wrong attitude. They don't have money for paying fines and locking them up is entirely non-productive.

There is a saying:

You need a solicitor only a few times in your life.

You need a doctor quite a few times in your life.

You need a farmer three times every day and yet the farmer is by far the lowest paid.

The government should make sure the farmers are paid sufficiently to keep pollution to a minimum.

 

They already subsidize sugar cane farming, which is why many are farming it.
It is the main cause of the air pollution this time of year.

They did already take steps to combat the sugar cane burning.
By demanding the processing factory refuses any burnt canes,
as farmers initially just burnt the cane to remove the waste.
Instead of preventing the burning, all the gov done
was increase the cost of labour for the farmer
as now they must pay people to manually strip the canes of waste before loading onto trucks
then that pile of waste is still burned, but hey the factory now has a slightly easier job and the farmer earns less.
Sometimes government intervention is the cause of the problems.

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

Getting this under control would be soooooo easy (requires cooperation between police, helicopter Air Force and the land department)

You must be new here LOL

But seriously the punishment of others you desire cannot be enforced, a lot of land farmed is no longer owned by the farmer.
Why should the land owner living in BKK be responsible for something someone else done without their knowledge?
How do you prove who is responsible for the actual lighting of the fire?

I am surprised I did not see "deport them" on your solution too LOL

31 minutes ago, patman30 said:

They already subsidize sugar cane farming, which is why many are farming it.
It is the main cause of the air pollution this time of year.

They did already take steps to combat the sugar cane burning.
By demanding the processing factory refuses any burnt canes,
as farmers initially just burnt the cane to remove the waste.
Instead of preventing the burning, all the gov done
was increase the cost of labour for the farmer
as now they must pay people to manually strip the canes of waste before loading onto trucks
then that pile of waste is still burned, but hey the factory now has a slightly easier job and the farmer earns less.
Sometimes government intervention is the cause of the problems.

I agree with your reply but I would add that, where I am, the sugar cane used to be burnt until the processing factories were ordered by the government to do something about the burnt product. The result was that the processing factories made a lower offer for the burnt cane claiming, possibly quite rightly, that the sugar content was inferior. It was then economically viable  to use a combine harvester to do the business. That also reduced manual labour costs but ensured no pre harvest foliage burning. 

This is fine so far but the farmer was then left with many Rai of foliage dumped out the back of the harvester. This residue would need to be cleared quickly to make way for the next planting.

So we then come back to burning the stuff. It could be collected for compost but who is going to pay for that. Cane foliage takes about a year to break down into useful compost and there is insufficient financial reward to make that worthwhile.

It’s the same old story every year and nothing happens. Fine the owner of every burning field 100000 Baht per field and after the third offense they go to prison for a year. Case closed! 

34 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Cane foliage takes about a year to break down into useful compost and there is insufficient financial reward to make that worthwhile.

The (future) profit would come from less need of chemical fertiliser  and  maybe able to sell or exchange the compost  between different farms with different crops  kinda like crop rotation  but  compost rotation to even out the nutrients in the soil and again reduce the need for buying chemicals.

The farmers also need to get rid of the middle men so they actually keep much more of the profit of their hard earned crop,

of course the 'government' could help out there but  after what happened to Yingluck   not much chance of that.

What's burning hasn't even started yet it's been raining!

Yes every year nothing changes they were only by now they were supposed to have 90% of the sugarcane cut by hand but now it's all burning again. But I'm sorry nobody's burning sugarcane nobody's burning crops yet it won't start until next month.

Do any of you commenters here ever think a lot of the pollution could be coming from neighboring countries? Let me see, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and even as far North as China. Before throwing Thai farmers into the fire try and think outside the box when making comments about the country you are here visiting on a VISA.

I was in Bangkok for only one day, two days ago. The pollution was really heavy, my feeling is that the burning is added to the car pollution. I was talking the BTS to most places and it's just incredible that people adapt to these conditions. 

2 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I agree with your reply but I would add that, where I am, the sugar cane used to be burnt until the processing factories were ordered by the government to do something about the burnt product. The result was that the processing factories made a lower offer for the burnt cane claiming, possibly quite rightly, that the sugar content was inferior. It was then economically viable  to use a combine harvester to do the business. That also reduced manual labour costs but ensured no pre harvest foliage burning. 

This is fine so far but the farmer was then left with many Rai of foliage dumped out the back of the harvester. This residue would need to be cleared quickly to make way for the next planting.

So we then come back to burning the stuff. It could be collected for compost but who is going to pay for that. Cane foliage takes about a year to break down into useful compost and there is insufficient financial reward to make that worthwhile.

Yes it seemed to all favour the factories and put the farmers more out of pocket.
also just to note
the problem with composting it apart from cost
is whatever they have sprayed on it

On 11/10/2025 at 6:42 AM, ikke1959 said:

The RTP not doing their job, the people who know no real fines or punishments will be given, the attitude of it is no responsibility of mine, even for selling vapers or alcohol to minors, parents allowing the kids to drive motorcycles, the netizens don't care about the laws, as they know there are no consequences.... Change that and things will be better for everybody

And Thailand wonders why foreign criminals continued to look at their country as a haven and paradise from the law.

The burning up nth starts march april a bit early yet for the mask and smog ratings

16 hours ago, cdulaney said:

I live in N/W Thailand and we have had a large amount of rain, so I do not know where these fires are the article is pertaining to be burning. The sugarcane in these provinces is not Open for the season as All the mills are closed till late next month. The article needs more details to support the author's claims.

The first one to speak out.

This is not the time of big farm fires.

Cane harvesting has rarely begun. Rice paddies still water filled in many areas.

Rainy season just come to a stop.

That is consistent with available sources like firemap:

https://www.firemap.live/

 

No big farm fires!

Do they need some scape goat for the enormous pollution by road traffic? Tax preferences for Diesel pickups and Diesel fuel.

Age old standards for pollution control.

Black smoke from exhausts?

Laughable vehicle inspections.

 

This article is BS/out of time.

Recycled from last year?

Blame Cambodia 

18 hours ago, patman30 said:

You must be new here LOL

But seriously the punishment of others you desire cannot be enforced, a lot of land farmed is no longer owned by the farmer.
Why should the land owner living in BKK be responsible for something someone else done without their knowledge?
How do you prove who is responsible for the actual lighting of the fire?

I am surprised I did not see "deport them" on your solution too LOL

The owner knows the lessee, can ensure that the lessee is aware of the legal framework as well as the consequences, if the lessee does NOT abide by the law. The lessor is responsible for what happens on his land and if he sublets the property, it is the lessor to hammer in the message. Same applies to loan sharks, if they OWN the land, then see above. 

Nevertheless, I am aware that you cannot arrest all those arsonists but if you throw the first few hundreds into the slammer, the message will go around. I think it would be at least worth trying 😉 

6 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

The owner knows the lessee, can ensure that the lessee is aware of the legal framework as well as the consequences, if the lessee does NOT abide by the law. The lessor is responsible for what happens on his land and if he sublets the property, it is the lessor to hammer in the message. Same applies to loan sharks, if they OWN the land, then see above. 

Nevertheless, I am aware that you cannot arrest all those arsonists but if you throw the first few hundreds into the slammer, the message will go around. I think it would be at least worth trying 😉 

you just get off the plane?
there is no "lessee" as they rarely have contracts for this unless large scale
and even then you cannot prove the lessee is responsible
you can punish people for actions they did not commit and/or were not aware of.

Throw hundreds of innocent people into the slammer.....that's your suggestion.

Your logic:
Landlord rents out property
Tenant commits crime
Landlord is responsible and punishable for crimes tenant committed.

You do understand how absurd that sounds.
 

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose-

 

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.

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.

 

 

Progressive reform on burning - green harvesting

https://youtu.be/thXstqQcdQ4?si=yExPfXaED66a4vyP

 

This is an absolute travesty, and fall squarely on the tiny shoulders of the do nothing administration. They're absolute unwillingness to do anything about this situation is an abomination and the list of things that could be done to address this problem are countless.

 

They could start by pulling over diesel vehicles spewing out enormous clouds of black smoke, but that would require the highway patrol to actually do some work, which they utterly refuse to do.

 

They could then get the provincial authorities to crack down on the heinous crop burning that's going on with sugar and rice, which is being perpetrated by farmers who have zero regard for their country nor their neighbors. Crack down on them hard and set an example. For the first offense with a small fine, much larger fines for a second offense and massive fines for the third offense. Word would get around and Farmers would start using more environment mentally friendly techniques even though they required more work.

 

Also, the provincial authorities don't seem to care one iota, and even if they care they don't seem to be capable of policing the areas, and even if they were capable of placing the areas they don't seem to have the conviction to impose large enough fines to stop these farmers.

 

In essence these farmers are practicing a form of terrorism against their own people, they are killing people, they are putting people in the hospital, they are shortening lives, and they are making life miserable for a significant portion of the nation, simply because it's easier and less expensive to burn. The degree to which the smoke is toxic is unfathomable. it is the absolute epitome of self-absorption and zero concern for others. These farmers need to be punished in a very expensive and convincing manner. 

 

If the government cared one iota which they don't, they would start convincing farmers to switch crops and start moving away from 16th century crops like rice and sugar, moving toward more progressive crops which are potentially more profitable. If they felt the need to stick with rice and sugar they could educate the public on how those crops can be processed without burning, and subsidize the purchase of the required equipment. 

 

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?