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From smog to arsenic: Outcry grows over cross-border pollution in Thailand
11 Sept 03:16Key points summarised by AI
- Thailand faces an escalating cross-border pollution crisis, transitioning from persistent smog to severe arsenic and mercury contamination in northern rivers originating from Myanmar.
- Water tests reveal dangerous levels of arsenic and mercury, far exceeding safe limits, primarily linked to Chinese-owned gold mines upstream in Myanmar, posing serious health risks like cancer and neurological damage.
- Academics and civil society groups criticize the Thai government's lukewarm response, demanding urgent action, diplomatic engagement with Myanmar, and the establishment of joint monitoring and solution-finding mechanisms.
- Addressing the pollution is complicated by Myanmar's political instability, necessitating political negotiations and coordination with various stakeholders, including Myanmar's military regime, ethnic forces, and China.
- Despite past failures in combating cross-border smog, success in reducing haze in Thailand's South, attributed to decisive action by Indonesia and Singapore, offers a potential model for effective regional environmental cooperation.
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