Parties pitch “clean air” plans for Northern Thailand at Nation debate

At the Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation Public Park, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party and a prime ministerial candidate, delivered her vision under the slogan “Reclaim clean air and opportunity for the people of the North”, stressing that the right to breathe clean air belongs to all Thai people.

Sudarat said the PM2.5 crisis has repeatedly been declared a national agenda, yet has never been resolved because of a lack of genuine commitment and seasonal, stop-gap action. Thai Sang Thai, she said, is therefore proposing a systematic approach that tackles the problem at its source, as follows:

• Managing burning and forest fires: enforce strict penalties for burning and increase punishment, while decentralising authority and budgets to local agencies to manage forest fires. The party also backs better tools and technology to accurately detect hotspots.
   
• Agriculture and economic measures: support farmer groups with interest-free loans to purchase agricultural machinery such as ploughing equipment or sugarcane harvesters to reduce burning. The party also proposes purchasing carbon credits and turning agricultural residues into value-added products.
   
• Tough action on the private sector and transboundary pollution: the government must pursue international negotiations to ensure joint enforcement of laws, and should ban companies that buy produce linked to burning, preventing them from selling domestically or exporting.
   
• Legislation and reporting: Thai Sang Thai will push for a Clean Air Act and a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) law to enable real-time pollution reporting.
   
• Transport and industry: tighten controls on black smoke emissions from vehicles, support a shift to EVs, and upgrade fuel standards to Euro 5, with sulphur content below 10 ppm.

Sudarat concluded that Thai Sang Thai will make clean air a practical, enforceable national agenda by establishing a single-command PM2.5 centre to direct all ministries to work together under one coordinated command—aiming for a lasting solution to toxic haze in the North.

​​Anudith vows to solve PM2.5 within 90 days

Anudith Nakornthap, the strategic chairman of the Klatham Party, unveiled the party’s policy to tackle PM2.5 dust pollution, which has long had severe impacts on the health and economy of people in Northern Thailand. 

He stressed that Klatham is a party that “gets things done” and wants to offer a different approach from the traditional ways of addressing the problem.

Anudith argued that state measures in the past have often focused on end-point solutions, such as burning bans, checkpoints, or crackdowns on farmers. Such actions, he said, place pressure on grassroots communities without addressing the real heart of the problem.

The core of Klatham’s proposal is to shift from “enforcement” to “creating choices” for farmers. Anudith declared the party would deliver visible results within 90 days, with the main measures as follows:

• Innovation and technology: the government should send tools, equipment, materials and innovations to local areas, instead of sending officials to make arrests.
• Turning waste into money: agricultural residues that were previously burned should be properly managed and converted into “agricultural inputs”, reducing waste and adding value.
• Budget support: Anudith said the state already has budgets, but they have not been used seriously to provide technology support to grassroots communities.
• Raising farmers’ incomes — “no one wants to break the law”: the policy would not only reduce dust pollution, but also lower costs and build a structured market to absorb agricultural outputs, helping farmers sell produce at higher prices.

He reminded the audience that, by nature, no farmer wants to break the law, and no one wants to burn their own residues for no benefit — if the government can offer better alternatives and generate income for them.

He concluded with the slogan “Klatham does more than it talks”, reaffirming the party’s stance: “Klatham — we do more than we say. We act immediately.” He also called on the public to support Klatham Party No. 42, to create a turning point for Thailand and restore clean air to the North in a sustainable way.

Jatuporn proposes import ban to tackle Chiang Mai PM2.5

Jatuporn Buruspat, leader and prime ministerial candidate of the New Opportunity Party, noted that the North’s 14 provinces contain more than 38 million rai of forest — over 60% of the region — and described the area’s basin-like geography, surrounded by mountains, which traps cold-season air and causes heavy build-up of toxic haze.

Under the party’s “New Opportunity” approach to forest management, Jatuporn proposed shifting the role of people living in forest areas to become forest stewards, helping prevent wildfires in a sustainable way. 

He also urged support for farmers to stop burning in forests and on agricultural land, instead using machinery to plough residues into the soil. In addition, he proposed processing agricultural waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or selling it for energy to generate income — a key measure to reduce haze at its source.

On transboundary haze, Jatuporn took a hard line, saying that if he were in a position related to the Ministry of Commerce, he would order a ban on imports from countries where forest burning is carried out for agricultural purposes, aiming to break the cycle that harms Thai public health.

He also criticised the current budgeting system as fragmented, leading to inconsistent work. If the New Opportunity Party forms the next government, he said budgets should be planned as a comprehensive, year-round (365-day) solution, alongside modern early-warning technology so the public can prepare and protect their health in time. 

He added that Thailand now faces not only three seasons, but also a “dust season” that requires special vigilance.

In closing, Jatuporn stressed his ties as a “100% Chiang Mai local” who understands the area’s problems, calling for cooperation among the public sector, private sector and local authorities to integrate environmental solutions.

He urged voters to give New Opportunity Party No. 44 the chance to help protect Northern residents from PM2.5.