รัฐบาลไทย-ข่าวทำเนียบรัฐบาล-​PM meets with Lao PDR and Myanmar PMs to discuss solution to transboundary haze
วันอังคารที่ 11 เมษายน 2566
11/04/2566
​PM meets with Lao PDR and Myanmar PMs to discuss solution to transboundary haze
​PM meets with Lao PDR and Myanmar PMs to discuss solution to transboundary haze
April 7, 2023, at 1000hrs, at PM, OC Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the triparty meeting via a videoconference with Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to address the problem of cross-border haze. The Thai delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai, Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs Pornpimol Kanchanalak, Deputy Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment Thalerngsak Petchsuwan, and Director-General of the Department of Pollution Control Pinsak Suraswadi. Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister and Acting Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister appreciated the meeting, held to exchange and share experiences in tackling cross-border haze situation which has badly affected wellbeing of people of the three countries. Close cooperation between Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar is, therefore, needed to seek constructive and concrete solutions to the problem.
Director-General of the Department of Pollution Control Pinsak Suraswadi, in his capacity as senior official for the working group under 5-nation Environment Ministers, reported that current situation of cross-border haze occurs during January and April 2023 as a result of dry weather in Mekong subregion. Coupling with outdoor burnings, hotspots have remarkably increased. ASEAN Secretariat has given out a level-3 warning for cross-border haze situation, as the number of hotspots in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar during January 1 and April 5, 2023 has increased by 93% comparing to the same period last year.
Lao PDR Prime Minister commended the Thai Prime Minister for taking an initiative to organize the meeting. Lao PDR agreed to seek a way out of this haze problem through ASEAN-level cooperation and raising of public awareness on causes and impact of cross-border haze. The Prime Minister of Myanmar agreed with an increase of cooperation to tackle cross-border haze. Myanmar commits to take stronger steps to promote sustainable development in the region, and believes that close cooperation between ASEAN member countries will benefit all the countries for regional benefits.
The Thai Prime Minister reiterated Thailand’s awareness on the urgency to address pollution problem caused by transboundary haze and PM2.5 particulates. There are 2 cases of haze situation in ASEAN, that is, 1) haze in the Mekong subregion/upper ASEAN (Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam), which occurs in the dry season each year (January – April); and 2) haze in the lower ASEAN (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand), which occurs during July and September every year.
At present, cross-border haze has become a serious threat to people’s health and tourism activities. The Thai Government declares haze problem as a national agenda, and compiles lesson learned visualizing data for the development of preventive measures and ad-hoc action plan against haze and PM2.5 particulates. Three areas in which the measures are to be beefed up are: 1) urban area, to address sources of pollution, i.e., traffic, industrial factories; 2) agricultural area, to ban stubble burnings; and 3) forest area, to curb and prevent wildfire and raise people’s awareness.
Thailand has developed a long-term plan (2024-2027) to address air pollution at a bilateral level. PM2.5 detectors have been handed over to Myanmar’s Tachileik and Taunggyi cities in September 2022, and technical support has also been provided to air quality monitoring stations in Lao PDR and Myanmar. Region wise, Thailand endorses ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control in the Mekong sub-region. Under the Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action, the country managed to reduce hotspots by 61% and PM2.5 by 27% in 2022. Hotspots decreased from 139,098 in 2021 to 108,916 in 2022. Thailand also regularly reports to the ASEAN Secretariat on its action against hotspot situation, and on February 27, 2023, the country submitted a request for ASEAN to urgently mobilize joint effort of Mekong subregional countries to tackle cross-border haze.
The Prime Minister took the occasion to propose 3 areas of cooperation for effective and sustainable solution to the problem:
Taking action in accordance with the Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action to control pollution in the Mekong subregion, installing warning system to promote efficiency in the fight against wildfire, promoting sustainable forest management, and skill enhancement of concerned officers
Utilizing bilateral mechanisms at all levels. Thailand will propose cooperation on transboundary haze pollution through the mechanism of provincial border committee, and at the 42nd ASEAN Summit for ASEAN leaders to approve acceleration of problem solving in a comprehensive and tangible manner.
Exchanging and sharing experiences and legal practices of each country to address root causes of the problem, and assisting farmers in waste management (e.g., establishment of BCG power plant and community biogas plants under the royal initiative of King Rama IX, and processing agricultural residues)
The Prime Minister also endorsed cooperation between air quality index measurement networks of subregional countries to increase forecasting and warning efficiency, and proposed for responsible senior officials of each country to take forward the outcome of this meeting and discuss to further seek tangible responses and solutions to the problem. He hoped that goals and solutions to address cross-border haze and reduce hotspots would be quickly identified for the benefit of people of the three countries. The Prime Minister also mentioned tightening of cooperation in other issues of mutual interest, i.e., public health, tourism, border trade, narcotics prevention, and response against online scams.