Deeper Dive Thailand

In the second half of 2024, 42 out of the 77 Thai provinces faced flooding. At least 50 people were killed and billions of baht were lost in damages to property and farmland. The flooding was particularly severe in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. In the central district of Chiang Mai, the Ping River overflowed for the first time. Thousands were evacuated by boat. So what caused it all? The release of water from hydropower dams upstream, particularly in China and Laos, causes acute flooding and erodes the river banks. Encroachment on the river – by building structures next to the banks or that jut into the river itself – blocks drainage and prevents construction of flood barriers. But the larger issue is deforestation, partly for mining activities but mostly to plant feed crops for animal agriculture. Forests don’t just absorb carbon, they also absorb water, and when we cut them down, the water cascades down the fields, taking the topsoil with it and causing the invasion of mud we’ve seen this year.  To unpack the layers of Thailand’s flood crisis, Dave Kendall speaks with "Pai" Pianporn Deetes, campaign director for the Southeast Asia Programme at International Rivers.

Travel historian Imtiaz Muqbil addresses tourism in Thailand from economic, historical and social viewpoints. He says tourism is so key to Thailand’s post-Covid recovery that the government’s recent relaxation of immigration restrictions [https://bit.ly/3Yzu62e ] was necessary for both the economy and social stability. He worries that countries will compete with each other for tourist revenue in a race to the bottom that risks overtourism in certain areas. But he says the industry itself can solve these problems by using better marketing and promotion strategies. He says that the loosening of borders brings an inevitable rise in criminal activity that can only be mitigated, not prevented. And finally, he says that since the end of the second world war, travel and tourism has had a higher purpose – to promote cultural understanding and peace in the world.

Thanks to the new visa regulations issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it’s never been easier to visit Thailand and stay in the country long-term. But the devil is in the details, and to help us take an in-depth look, Dave Kendall is joined by Naruchai Ninnad, Deputy DIrector-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read the accompanying article in the Bangkok Post at https://bit.ly/3Yzu62e

Once again, northern Thailand is choking under a blanket of toxic smog. What’s really causing it – and how can we get rid of it for good? Many experts believe cutting down forests to plant corn for animal feed is a major cause of the air pollution, with Chiang Mai ranked the world's worst for several days in mid-March. Animal agriculture is the elephant in the room when it comes to climate change, as portrayed in the documentary narrated by Kate Winslet, "Eating Our Way to Extinction [https://youtu.be/_Ls2KEyb19E]". Check out these articles in the Bangkok Post: ⁠Feeding the beast: Chiang Mai smoke seen as world's climate change problem ⁠ [https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2103535/feeding-the-beast-chiang-mai-smoke-seen-as-worlds-climate-change-problem] ⁠Slaughtering the planet - on a farm⁠ [https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1988879/slaughtering-the-planet-on-a-farm] More reading: ⁠Global elimination of meat production could save the planet⁠ [https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/02/01/global-elimination-of-meat-production-could-save-the-planet/] References: ⁠The animal agriculture industry, US universities, and the obstruction of climate understanding and policy⁠ [The animal agriculture industry, US universities, and the obstruction of climate understanding and policy] Reijnders S. Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 78, Issue 3, pp. 664S–668S. Published 2003. Accessed 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/78.3.664S [https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/78.3.664S] Bala G, Caldeira K, Wickett M, et al. Combined climate and carbon-cycle effects of large-scale deforestation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published online April 9, 2007:6550-6555. doi:10.1073/pnas.0608998104 [https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0608998104] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change . Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems. In press; 2019:12

The new cannabis bill grinding its way through parliament toughens penalties and includes jail terms for growing, selling and importing without a licence, and for marketing and advertising of the traditional drug that was delisted as a narcotic in June 2022. But its most controversial provision is the imposition of fines for recreational smoking, even in one’s own home. This has drawn condemnation from many, including long-time cannabis legalisation advocate and entrepreneur Chokwan Kitty Chopaka.