Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, revealed that Thailand has discussed ways to solve PM_2.5 problem closely with Cambodia through all mechanisms at the bilateral, sub-regional, and ASEAN levels to solve the problem of Thai-Cambodian transboundary haze pollution in the past month. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) is willing to cooperate and support Cambodia in all forms, including 1) adding Cambodia under the Clear Sky Strategy, 2) providing academic assistance, equipments, and tools, and 3) organizing training to strengthen the capacity of officials in solving the problems of forest fires, smog, and particulate matter.

Pol. Gen. Patcharawat said that during the visit of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on February 7, 2024, the Prime Minister of Thailand (H.E. Mr. Srettha Thavisin) raised the issue of expanding cooperation to solve transboundary haze pollution by establishing a working group to determine cooperation’s guidelines. These included (1) establishing a hotline to share information and notification of burn sites, (2) responding to emergency evidences, and (3) building capacity and sharing best practices in areas such as burning management in agricultural areas.

MONRE, as the national focal point of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, will promote existing cooperation and seek new cooperation from domestic and international partners to benefit Thailand’s efforts to effectively solve the transboundary haze pollution in Thailand and the region, Pol. Gen. Patcharawat said.