Radioactive tube goes missing
left A photo of the Caesium-137 cylinder that went missing from a power plant in Prachin Buri this year. Green Network Facebook Page
In March, residents of Prachin Buri woke up to a government warning that a tube containing radioactive Caesium-137 went missing from the National Power Plant 5A Company’s facility in the province.
Authorities scrambled to find the missing hazardous material among scrap metal shops and even offered a cash reward for information leading to the recovery of the missing tube. The missing Caesium-137 caused anxiety among villagers. The area within a 10-kilometre radius of the plant included a crowded community, a large school, a plantation and a river.
After more than a week of frantic searching, the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) secretary-general, Permsuk Sutchaphiwat, declared that a foundry in the same province had melted the scrap metal and contamination was contained in the furnace dust. Provincial governor Narong Nakhonchinda said there were 10 big bags of contaminated furnace dust, each weighing about 1 tonne.
Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said residents would be safe from any impacts of the Caesium-137. The OAP said there was no trace of contamination found within a 5-kilometre radius of the foundry, all 70 employees were cleared of any radioactive traces and the site was closed for decontamination.
However, this has not eased locals’ fears that they may still be inhaling the dangerous dust from the furnace. The news has also undermined fruit sales in the area, with many orders cancelled.
Chiang Mai’s ‘airpocalypse’
Haze caused by high levels of hazardous ultra-fine PM2.5 covers the city of Chiang Mai on Feb 3. Chiang Mai was listed as having the worst air quality in the world at the beginning of this year by the pollution monitoring website IQAir. Northern Development Foundation
Chiang Mai suffered the infamy of being branded as having the world’s most polluted air, reaching its most hazardous concentrations of PM2.5 in March and April. The province’s prolonged airpocalypse sent residents, expats and tourists on an exodus out of the province. Cancelled holidays, closed shops and empty flights sent the local economy into a tailspin.
On April 10, about 1,700 residents filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court against Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and two state agencies over their failure to resolve the recurring haze in the North, which they claim is shortening their lives by five years. They wanted a local disaster declared.
The plaintiffs also accused the National Environmental Board of failing to effectively implement the national plan to tackle particulate matter pollution introduced in 2019. In addition, they said, the Securities and Exchange Commission should be held responsible for failing to examine the sources of ultrafine dust pollution within the supply chains of major listed companies.
The court dismissed the case on the grounds the situation did not warrant such a declaration and that state agencies had already taken measures to mitigate the problem. Chiang Mai governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn said forest fires in the North as well as in neighbouring countries were the major cause.
Nearly 1.5 million Thais have suffered from air pollution-related ailments since the beginning of the year, said the Public Health Ministry.
The PM2.5 issue further escalated when Krittai Tanasombatkul, a 29-year-old doctor in Chiang Mai, died on Dec 5 from lung cancer — said to be caused by exposure to polluted air.
Jumbo back from Sri Lanka
Elephant Sak Surin plays in the sand at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang. The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre Lampang
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment brought the ailing Thai jumbo Sak Surin back to its motherland on July 2 after having lived in Sri Lanka for over 22 years as a goodwill ambassador for the country.
Kanchana Silpa-archa, a former adviser to the Environment Ministry, made a major effort to repatriate the animal after learning the 30-year-old male elephant was in leg chains and had injuries to many parts of his body.
Sak Surin was among three Thai elephants gifted to Sri Lanka to strengthen diplomatic relations. The elephant’s job in its early days in Sri Lanka was to carry the Lord Buddha’s relics during religious parades.
It stayed at a temple from then. A Sri-Lanka-based animal protection organisation witnessed its predicament and campaigned for better living conditions for the animal. After six months of negotiations, the Sri Lankan government agreed to let it return home.
The vet team was sent for a medical check-up and health assessment, and a team of mahouts prepared it for the flight back.
Sak Surin landed at Chiang Mai International Airport and was sent into animal quarantine at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in nearby Lampang province.
A check found five tumours with a 10cm radius on Sak Surin’s thighs and a mass with a 1cm radius on its right cornea. The elephant also had damaged toenails and could not stretch or bend his front left leg.
The vets said further medical treatment was required. It is still under the conservation centre’s supervision and has started to recover.
The government spent 19.5 million baht on the mission to bring the jumbo home.
Dept of Climate Change set up
above The Department of Climate Change and Environment was created to show the country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing climate impacts. Department of Climate Change and Environment
In August, the Department of Climate Change and Environment (CCE) started work, signalling the country’s more proactive approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing measures to manage climate impacts.
Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Environment of Natural Resources and Environment at the time, declared “the department is vital as Thailand now has a body that is directly responsible for tackling issues related to climate change”.
Thailand is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate impacts, with global implications in commodity supplies and manufacturing supply chains.
It is one of the biggest producers of rice, rubber, sugar, fruit and seafood for the world market. It also makes a significant amount of semiconductors and vehicles for export. Its tourism industry is one of the world’s largest. These sectors have been disrupted by extreme weather events in the past.
The department’s mandate includes working with public and private sectors as well as international agencies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065, in line with the 1.5C goal of the Paris Agreement.
The government also revised the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution from 20% to 40% by 2030.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said climate change has become an urgent problem and the government has been doing everything necessary to fight the climate crisis.
Tham Luang Cave opens
Park rangers check the safety of the Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai before the reopening of Chambers 2 and 3. Public Relations Office
On Dec 15, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for the first time opened Chambers 2 and 3 of the Tham Luang cave complex for adventure lovers.
The cave is well-known among the global community as the location where 12 Wild Boar footballers and their coach were rescued after being trapped in the flooded cave for 18 days in 2018 during the rainy season.
The cave is part of Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district.
The department began tours to Chamber 3 over a distance of 800 metres.
The route will give tourists a better idea about what happened in the mission to rescue the boys who were trapped in Chamber 9, around 2.4km from the cave entrance.
The DNP has not yet opened the area beyond Chamber 3 for public visits due to safety concerns, although its team has surveyed 10km of the cave.
Visitors must be fit and healthy, as the floor of the cave can be slippery. There is also a steep path and sharp rocks along the route. Visitors are also required to climb upwards by holding on to a rope in some parts.
When in Chamber 3, visitors will see traces of the rescue bid, including rope lines that helped transport the boys who were put to sleep before their journey. There is also an oxygen-transmitting line and communication line.
Visitors can learn more about the cave landscape, which has a narrow route and vertical rock that is difficult to climb up.
The department believes the programme will draw interest from tourists, especially foreign tourists.
The programme is open for two groups per day, of no more than 10 people. A tour must be booked at least seven days in advance via the Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non National Park’s webpage.
The reservation is to allow officials time to prepare the necessary equipment. Accompanying each tour group will be park officials and two local guides.