PRIME Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the persistent issue of transboundary pollution must be part of ASEAN top agenda in order to find the necessary solution.
The prime minister made the statement as parts of upper North and Northeast Thailand remained cloaked in a thick cloud of haze.
Chiang Mai once again topped the list as the most polluted city in the world earlier this week.
Public Health Ministry officials said that around 1.3 million people have suffered from health problems due to poor air quality since the beginning of the year.
In mid-March, officials revealed that nearly 200,000 people were hospitalized with respiratory conditions, as well as skin and eye infections in just a week caused by a dangerous mix of industrial emissions, agricultural burning, and vehicle fumes.
The director-general of the Pollution Control Department blamed a large number of forest fires, hotspots in neighboring countries, and the stagnant air over the sea for the dense smog.
With this, Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said he had already sent a letter to the ASEAN member countries seeking their cooperation in dealing with the slash-and-burn agriculture and urged Thai farmers to cooperate as well.
“I signed the letter myself. We want to seek their cooperation, particularly in dealing with slash-and-burn agriculture. Meanwhile, Thai farmers must also cooperate,” said Don Pramudwinai, Foreign Affairs Minister.
Local campaigners urged the government to enforce stricter legislation against pollution as it becomes a serious environmental and health issue.
