MNRE Joins Environment Ministerial Meetings of 5 Countries to Coordinate Transboundary Haze Prevention in ASEAN

On 8 June 2023, Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) assigned Mrs. Chayanan Phakdeejit, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, headed the Thai delegation to join the Environment Ministerial Committee meeting with Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore on 24th Transboundary Haze Pollution (24th MSC) in Singapore. The Meeting adopted the results of the 23rd Meeting of the Working Group under the Five-Country Environment Ministerial Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (23rd TWG). It included a summary of the situation and the implementation of the prevention and mitigation of transboundary haze in the lower ASEAN region and a progress report on the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control established in Indonesia to coordinate operations to prevent and solve transboundary haze problems in the ASEAN region.

Thailand reported to the meeting on the success of smog prevention in the southern region. Preparing to deal with the haze problem in 2023 has been carried out according to the action plan to drive the national agenda of "solving dust pollution problems". It is a special plan to solve the problem of dust pollution in 2023. It included the Mekong Sub-region Cooperation Report that Thailand, led by Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, hosted the Thailand-Laos PDR-Myanmar trilateral summit. to discuss ways to manage pollution problems from transboundary haze together under the "CLEAR Sky Strategy" It is to support the capacity building of open burning management for neighboring countries through training on transboundary haze management for Myanmar and Lao PDR between 23 - 25 May 2023. In addition, Thailand has asked Singapore to exchange knowledge on establishing regulations to control open burning from business operations in order to apply knowledge to solve problems and expand the results in the Mekong sub-region. In addition, Thailand is scheduled to host the 25th MSC in 2024 as well.