Recent media coverage of air pollution levels has tended to be mostly "Bangkok-centric".
The pollution is indeed bad in the city, but it's bad elsewhere in the country too. I have just returned from a visit to Kanchanaburi and was shocked to see the town and the surrounding countryside shrouded in a thick blanket of smoke. The sources were not difficult to detect -- burning stubble, and the burning of undergrowth on virtually every hillside. The level of PM2.5 per cubic metre in Kanchanaburi on Sunday, Jan 27 was 174, almost seven times the internationally accepted healthy limit of 26.
All of this burning, and I presume it's illegal, is taking place in full view of the provincial offices and sundry police stations, yet the official attitude seems to be one of apathy and indifference, despite the fact that the pollution is posing an extreme danger to health. The lax or total non-enforcement of laws is holding back Thailand's development, but it need not be this way. One law in particular has been enforced with draconian severity, especially in recent years, but it is the exception, not the rule.
It would appear that soldiers have recently been deployed to villages throughout the country to "advise" people how to vote in the forthcoming election. Surely the soldiers' efforts would be put to better use if they "advised" rural folks to stop burning everything in sight.
Robin Grant
Useless masks
The Jan 28 article expressing grievances over air pollution does a major disservice to the public by suggesting that the personal solution is using masks. Most of the masks used by the average Thai are not adequate and give a false sense of security and safety. This delusion actually causes more health problems because the wearer falsely assumes they are safe.
Filter masks that work against PM2.5 cost US$5-10 (300-600 baht). This cost makes them financially prohibitive to most working Thais that face the brunt of the pollution. If we follow the track record of Thai elites resolving issues here we can assume that the high amount of air pollution will remain for quite some time, if not forever. Instead of buying more tanks and military equipment for imaginary enemies, maybe the dictator should demonstrate his concern for the people and buy proper masks for the entire population. Pollution is an actual enemy that is attacking the populace!
Darius Hober
Fixing 'Tinglish'
It matters not whether one deals with English as TEFL, ESL or anything else. What matters is that a language is meant for communication (Postbag, Jan 28). If people can master English, even with mistakes, all it takes is polishing up.
One unique example of language usage is in India with its pluralising of many nouns, as in "I am taking the garbages out". If Thai students are to be exposed to practical, real language usage, then English-speaking retirees and others should be permitted to volunteer for a few hours a week in local schools.
Jack Gilead
A weighty issue
Thailand now has the dubious distinction of having six athletes test positively in the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships. Gone is the hosting of the 2019 worlds in Pattaya. Gone, too, should be the whole association, along with hefty fines.
Brian Springer
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