Air Pollution Becomes Political Battleground in Thailand

Pollution
A thick layer of smog covers central Bangkok, Thailand,Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (KHAOSOD Photo/ Yokin Charoenying)

BANGKOKThailand’s PM2.5 pollution crisis has intensified into a political issue as local elections approach on February 1. Opposition leader Natthapong Ruangpanyawut criticized Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for attending the World Economic Forum in Davos while Bangkok’s air quality deteriorated.

During her teleconference from Davos, PM Paetongtarn instructed Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to implement stricter measures against pollution. The government initiatives include:

  • Free public transit (Jan 25-31, 140M baht budget)
  • Work-from-home policies
  • Vehicle emissions enforcement
  • Artificial rainmaking
  • Ban on burned sugarcane

Upon returning January 25, Paetongtarn emphasized this is an ASEAN-wide issue requiring regional cooperation. She noted that while industrial burning has decreased, accumulated pollution remains problematic.

paetong dust
Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, attends the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart acknowledged public criticism while explaining his limited legal authority to address the crisis, particularly regarding agricultural burning in surrounding provinces.

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Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who remains politically active, criticized the government’s response as “too slow, too little, and too late.” He compared Thailand with Singapore, noting that Singapore passed clean air and transboundary haze laws within a year. Pita pointed out that despite Pheu Thai’s campaign promises and having had two prime ministers (Srettha and now Paetongtarn), there has been little progress on air quality legislation.

This adds to the political pressure on PM Paetongtarn’s government as they try to manage both the immediate crisis and long-term solutions to Thailand’s persistent air pollution problems.

pita dust
Pita Limjaroenrat, former Move Forward Party leader, delivers a campaign speech supporting the People’s Party’s candidate for Rayong Provincial Administrative Organization chief at Star IT Center fountain plaza, Rayong province, on January 25, 2025.

Associate Professor Khanuengnit Sribua-iam from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Law, who co-founded the Thailand Clean Air Network and serves as Vice Chair of the Extraordinary Committee on Clean Air Management Bill, earlier defended the bill’s timeline. As a structural issue requiring careful consideration, she stated the legislation isn’t delayed. The committee expects to submit the bill between February and March 2025 at the latest.

“Air pollution is a complex structural problem,” she noted, expressing concern about potential delays if parliamentary sessions close in April, leading to a two-month break. “The committee has done its utmost – now it’s up to the politicians.”

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