Meeting kicks off to resolve smog and forest fires in ASEAN

[webfact]

Meeting kicks off to resolve smog and forest fires in ASEAN



CHIANG MAI: -- Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Gen Surasak Kanchanarat today chaired a meeting in Chiang Mai with representatives of the 10-member ASEAN countries to prepare a roadmap to make ASEAN free of smogs.

He said ASEAN countries suffer from smog and forest fires every year, thus posing health problem to their peoples.

The meeting is aimed at finding solutions and measures to resolve the problem in the whole region and to propose to the ASEAN ministerial meeting on environment for approval and enforcement.

Meanwhile the Thai Armed Forces also arranged a training course to prevent forest fires and smog for more than 100 villagers in Sobmoei district of Mae Hong Son province.

The military intended to recruit villagers as its network to help in preventing forest fires that happen every year, particularly during the dried season.

Measurement of dust particles in the North today was still safe and not above safety standards.

But concerned authorities still have to monitor the air standards in the North closely.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/153930


-- Thai PBS 2016-03-07

[Chicog]

Just looking at the photo, I wonder if they could have come up with a more catchy name. You know, like "STOP BURNING 2016" or something.

[Pinot]

How about:

"This Year's Complete Waste of Time"

[worgeordie]

Just talk, nothing ever happens,it's not a new phenomenon,it's been the same

for years,and happens every year,action need,less talk.set up a committee

regards Worgeordie

[legend49]

Does the committee get free lunch and drinks worgeordie?

[wabothai]

How many meetings does it take to breath clean air?

Get the f... police out there and have them do their job.

Arrest the sob's setting fires.

[shirtless]

Another talkfest and no action , you make it an offense to burn off pretty simple , Sorry i dont want to upset the elites and their stupidity.

[Mapguy]

Sigh!

Yes, it is a complex problem, but one thing is very, very clear: a lot of blowing smoke to add to the smoke we are already inhaling!

The social and economic context --- as well as the public health context --- is more than obvious, but the egregious failure of government to take effective action locally or nationally anywhere in ASEAN forestalls any joint action.

What's the old saw? SOmething like: "The problem may be global, but the solution is local."

Interesting, of course, that the timing of the meeting is during one Chiang Mai's worst spells of pollution this season!

[Mapguy]

Sigh!

Yes, it is a complex problem, but one thing is very, very clear: a lot of blowing smoke to add to the smoke we are already inhaling!

The social and economic context --- as well as the public health context --- is more than obvious, but the egregious failure of government to take effective action locally or nationally anywhere in ASEAN forestalls any joint action.

What's the old saw? SOmething like: "The problem may be global, but the solution is local."

Interesting, of course, that the timing of the meeting is during one Chiang Mai's worst spells of pollution this season!

[Saan]

Nothing will be done now big business, read CP, have corn plantations to feed their pigs in the Chiang Mai area. The plantations will be burnt off every year regardless of meetings and hollow resolutions.

[Nigeone]

In Lamphun area they all go out at 5 ish after the helicopters have stopped and the police have gone off duty and set fire to what they have to set fire too...every year for the last 16 this has happened.... Police generally are no where to be seen.

[Farang99]

How many meetings does it take to breath clean air?

Get the f... police out there and have them do their job.

Arrest the sob's setting fires.

It is not just the local fires caused by burning off sugar cane residue or rubbish. In Phuket the problem comes from the enormous fires of forest clearance in Indonesia. If oil palm plantations were restricted to existing agricultural land, that aspect would improve greatly.

[wabothai]

How many meetings does it take to breath clean air?

Get the f... police out there and have them do their job.

Arrest the sob's setting fires.

It is not just the local fires caused by burning off sugar cane residue or rubbish. In Phuket the problem comes from the enormous fires of forest clearance in Indonesia. If oil palm plantations were restricted to existing agricultural land, that aspect would improve greatly.

In the north or northeast it is the above mentioned, include fires set to jungles and roadsides.

[tomyumchai]

i wonder how many roadside fires they started as they threw cigarettes out the car window while driving to the meeting? saw km after km of fires on the 12 in the last 2 days.