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Moroccan teenager disqualified for two illegal kicks to grounded opponent Payakrut in Muay Thai bout at Lumpinee Stadium

Abdessamie Rhenimi has apologised after being disqualified for two illegal ‘soccer kicks’ during his fight with Payakrut at ONE Friday Fights 128 in Bangkok on Friday night.

The Moroccan teenager was red-carded midway through the second round at Lumpinee Stadium after kicking his Thai opponent in the head while he was already grounded – the second such incident of the bout.

Earlier in the first round, Rhenimi had also caught Payakrut with a similar illegal strike just seconds into their strawweight Muay Thai contest.

The referee immediately called for injury time and issued a yellow card, resulting in a 10 per cent purse deduction.

When the same foul was repeated in round two, the official once again stepped in – but this time to halt the fight and disqualify the 19-year-old, as boos rang around the arena. Payakrut, who had already dropped Rhenimi with a knockdown earlier, was declared the winner by disqualification.

Clips of the incident quickly went viral across social media, with many fans calling for disciplinary action and some urging ONE Championship not to book Rhenimi again.

The Petchsaman Gym fighter, however, posted a public apology on Saturday evening, insisting the fouls were not intentional.

‘I want to sincerely apologise to Payakrut. I wish him a healthy and strong recovery,’ Rhenimi said. ‘The fight was intense, and in the heat of the moment, I let my emotion take over. I wanted to win so badly that I lost control and didn’t think clearly.

‘My actions were not intentional, but I take full responsibility for them. This is not who I am, and it’s not the example I want to set as a professional. I will learn from this and do better.’

Soccer kicks – strikes to the head of a grounded opponent – are banned under ONE Championship’s ruleset, even in mixed martial arts bouts. The technique remains legal only in a handful of promotions such as Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation.

At the end of a quiet Jomtien lane sits an unassuming villa that, once a month, becomes Thailand’s most intimate concert hall. With a seating capacity of just 50, Ben’s Theatre is the inspired creation of Ben Hansen, a Dutch photojournalist turned cultural host who now runs his music venue as a charitable venture.

Established almost by accident in 2004, Hansen rolls out a small red carpet during high season to welcome an eclectic mix of nationalities into his living room, all bound by their shared devotion to classical music.

Before the concert, I found myself chatting with two charming English ladies over a glass of white wine (included in the ticket price). Locals and visitors mingled easily, united by the thrill of finding something refined and elegant in a resort better known for its neon lights and noisy clubs.

Such is the intimacy of a concert at Ben’s Theatre that it feels more like a shared secret that hasn’t yet been discovered by the wider world. The atmosphere was relaxed but, once the lights dim, a hush descended. This isn’t a salon where people casually drift in and out — far from it. The discerning audience listened with genuine respect for the performance. Even children sat quietly beside their parents, absorbing the music with admirable concentration.

Central to all of this is Ben’s Yamaha baby grand piano, its polished black frame reflecting the faces of those who valiantly paid for it through a crowdfunding campaign. Rounded yet bright in tone, it fills the villa with both resonance and pride. It’s impossible to overstate the symbolic value of this precious instrument, played by such great talent and maintained with unfailing care.

The concert on Oct 6 was devoted to two of Thailand’s most gifted young pianists. San Jittakarn, whose artistry has been widely recognised in Europe, opened with Schumann’s Arabesque, Op.18. His interpretation balanced poise and passion, his phrasing light but full of insight. Schumann’s lyrical introspection can easily tip into sentimentality, yet his quiet discipline kept it grounded in musical honesty.

San followed with Symphonic Studies, Op.13, renowned as a formidable test of technique and endurance. The opening theme, by Baron von Fricken (father of Schumann’s one-time girlfriend Ernestine), is musically unremarkable, yet from it the composer creates a set of variations which makes so much from very little. This gifted Thai pianist traced their shifting moods with impressive clarity, from martial exuberance to quiet reflection, finishing with a brilliant Finale.

After the interval came Ravel’s Gaspard De La Nuit, performed by Anant Changwaiwit, a pianist of electrifying talent. Maurice Ravel was a master of orchestration and his solo piano music requires the illusion of a full orchestra drawn from a single pair of hands. Anant met that challenge fearlessly. In Ondine, his sound shimmered with fluid grace; Le Gibet was perfectly weighted, its ominous B-flat repeated throughout; while Scarbo erupted with manic joy. It was a performance of rare virtuosity and poetry.

To close the evening, Anant tossed off Balakirev’s Islamey with such ease that it drew gasps from those around me. This Russian warhorse, composed in 1869, may not be particularly memorable music but, as a show of stamina and flair, it was the perfect final flourish to a triumphant evening.

As I walked back down the soi, gravel crunching underfoot, by the time I reached the main road, Schumann had faded and Ravel’s phantoms were almost gone, replaced by the neon lights of bars and the twang of Country and Western. Between concerts, Ben’s tiny Carnegie Hall remains untouched: the chairs still in place, the piano carefully covered and the spotlights dimmed.

In a city more often associated with nightlife than nocturnes, this gem of a theatre stands as a gentle reminder that great art doesn’t always need grandeur. It requires only space, sincerity and the right people listening.

The Post does its journalistic task in addressing the deeply flawed amnesty bill before parliament. That bill is better than none. The editor is, nonetheless, also spot on that “the elephant in the room is that Section 112 is excluded from amnesty”. It is, in fact, not only that this law increasingly divides society and inevitably pushes those who value justice under democracy to, as the editorial puts it, “invite criticism against the monarchy that this law is meant to protect”.

Those who value informed opinion will support putting LM violations at the top of crimes for which full amnesties should be granted every bit as much as those who value justice under a constitutional democracy.

Felix Qui

90-day confusion

Re: “Shoddy Thai service”, (PostBag, Oct 10) and “Confidence declines as foreigners avoid Thailand”, (Business, Sept 29).

In his letter published in PostBag, Michael Bell is annoyed that he cannot do his 90-day report online whilst abroad. He clearly does not understand that the day he arrives back here is day number one. The programme resets every time you leave Thailand.

Barry Kenyon

Whose story holds?

Re: “False equations”, (PostBag, Oct 7).

Well, what a quandary. It seems we have to make a choice. Either we must choose to believe Frank Scimone and other contributors who write to support the Israeli government.

Or, we choose to believe the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, The Red Cross, Jews United against Zionism, Oxfam, Save the Children, Pax Christi, the IPC, INARA, Professors Norman Finkelstein and Avi Shlaim, Rabbis Elhanan Beck and Yisrael David Weiss, the WFP and the Jewish Voice for Peace, to name only a few. So, who should we believe? Oh my goodness, that’s a hard one.

Keith Barlow

Greener with CO2

Re: “No CO2 Miracle”, (PostBag, Oct 8).

I certainly hope Anna Aarts has not fled Thailand after reading this benighted reply to her fine contribution to PostBag. Ray Ban boldly says, “Carbon dioxide is not a plant food, and the ‘aerial fertiliser effect’ is, sadly, a myth.”

Elementary biology tells us the CO2 fertilisation effect causes plants to grow faster and larger when more CO2 is available. Satellite studies from Nasa, NOAA, Landsat, and NDVI datasets show a measurable 15% increase in leaf area globally since the 1980s, much of it linked to CO2 enrichment. Higher atmospheric CO2 increases the rate of carbon fixation in plants through photosynthesis, thereby enhancing carbohydrate production and biomass accumulation. This means more food, more shade, and removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide in a balancing feedback loop protecting and nourishing all living things.

More CO2 enhances plant water use efficiency, resulting in the expansion of vegetation in deserts like the Sahel, Inner Mongolia, and the Australian outback. Satellite imagery also confirms widespread greening has occurred in North America, China, and India. In short and happily enough, we have just enough carbon dioxide to afford Ray Ban the luxury of neglecting to eat his vegetables.

Michael Setter

Cultural confusion

Re: “Off to a dancing start”, (BP, Oct 10).

No doubt it is commendable to be welcoming and accepting of different cultures and customs. However, if the intent is to promote tourism in Thailand, one would expect to showcase the myriad wonderful aspects of Thai culture that we have to offer. So I am perplexed at the ceremonial event in Ban Rak Thai in Mae Hong Son province, which would have looked perfectly in place in Beijing or Guangzhou were it not for the Thai-language banners.

The Department of Rural Roads (DRR) has been directed to accelerate the disbursement of its 53-billion-baht budget for the 2026 fiscal year, with priority given to two major bridge projects in the southern region aimed at reducing travel time, improving safety, and boosting the regional economy.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the acceleration follows Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s directive for all ministries to speed up budget spending over the next four months to stimulate economic activity.

He said the department aims to disburse at least 50% of its budget, or around 25 billion baht, by the second quarter of the fiscal year, focusing particularly on projects supporting the transport of agricultural goods from communities to urban markets.

According to Mr Phiphat, two key investment projects worth 6.5 billion baht are being prioritised this year — the 4.84 billion baht Songkhla Lake Bridge linking Krasae Sin district in Songkhla with Phatthalung’s Khao Chaison district and the Koh Lanta Bridge in Krabi province valued at 1.85 billion baht.

He said that funding for both projects will come from World Bank loans (70%) and state funds (30%), and four companies have submitted their proposals for each of the projects. Technical evaluations have been submitted for World Bank review and are expected to be completed next week, he added.

While waiting for the World Bank’s assessment, the department would submit information to the Public Debt Management Office to prepare for loan procedures, he said, adding contracts for both projects are expected to be signed by the end of this year.

On the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) infrastructure project connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea (Land Bridge mega-project), Mr Phiphat said the related SEC Bill is expected to be submitted to parliament when the new session opens on Dec 12.

Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome has urged the government to intensify its crackdown on scammers and their political connections in both Thailand and Cambodia, while outlining his party’s plans to track and expose foreign “grey” capital.

Mr Rangsiman, chair of the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy, and National Reform, as well as a list MP and deputy leader of the People’s Party (PP), held a press conference yesterday to outline a roadmap for tracing illicit businesses. He said scams are becoming increasingly complex, with systematic money-laundering networks that are almost impossible to dismantle under the current government mechanisms.

Mr Rangsiman said scammers’ revenue is flowing into a neighbouring country and being absorbed by businesses and infrastructure there. “These grey capitals are now taking over Thailand,” he said, adding that in the absence of government progress on tackling the issue, the PP has put forward three proposals.

The first is to investigate companies that use iris scanning as part of their biometric data collection methods. According to Mr Rangsiman, as many as one to two million people have had their irises scanned. Many participants were unaware of the purpose of the scans, he said, receiving around 500 baht each.

The PP will also continue its investigation into foreign businessman Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, and prominent Cambodian businessman Yim Leak, both of whom Mr Rangsiman alleged may be linked to the use of iris scans. He further called on Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to comment on the alleged relationship between Mr Mauerberger and Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow.

A woman was killed and seven others injured in an explosion caused by a cooking gas leak at a townhouse in Muang district of Pathum Thani province on Saturday morning.

The incident occurred at Phanason housing estate on Pathum Thani-Lat Lum Kaeo Road in tambon Ban Chang, said Pol Maj Chaiphat Areewong, investigation chief at Pathum Thani’s Muang police station, who was notified around 7am on Saturday.

Police, firemen, and rescue workers arrived at the scene of an explosion that originated from a two-storey townhouse, with flames engulfing the building. The blast also caused damage to two nearby row houses.

Firemen took about 40 minutes to control the fire. Officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) cut power in the area.

Rescue workers found several people suffering from burns and blast injuries. Five injured were transported to Pathum Thani Hospital, while two others refused to leave, concerned about their property.

Phetkamon Bamrung, a 64-year-old townhouse owner, was killed in the explosion. She was found dead in the kitchen of the house.

The explosion also caused structural damage to walls and roofs and destroyed several vehicles, including a pickup truck, a car and seven to eight motorcycles.

Neighbour Somkuan Chatwong, 52, said he heard a loud explosion before his ceiling collapsed. His house, which was also damaged, operated as a beauty salon and was occupied by three people. Four people were in his house, while the adjacent house, also damaged, was unoccupied at the time.

Pol Capt Decha Chanthachart, deputy inspector of Pathum Thani’s Muang police station, said preliminary reports indicated a cooking gas cylinder exploded, triggering a fire that damaged the house and spread to nearby houses.

Authorities were investigating to determine the exact cause.

Scene sealed off

Police said the area had been sealed off to prevent unauthorised access, as the interior structure remains hot and at risk of collapsing. Due to the nature of the townhouse layout and the force of the explosion, neighbouring structures may also have sustained cracks or instability.

Once the inside temperature decreases to a safe level, the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning will inspect the building to assess structural safety and damages.

In addition ,the Tambon Ban Chang Administrative Organisation had set up a relief centre to register victims, provide temporary shelter and explore assistance options.

A newly planted anti-tank mine of unknown type was discovered in a border area in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo province on Saturday afternoon, according to the Thai army.

An army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team using an armoured bulldozer reported the discovery at Ban Nong Ya Kaeo at about 2pm. The mine appeared to have been recently placed, and officials suspected it may have been planted by groups or individuals from across the Cambodian border.

As mine clearance operations continued, Thai and Cambodian people gathered in two border areas in Ban Nong Ya Kaeo and Ban Nong Chan. At the latter, around 200 Thai civilians, vendors and reporters were assembled.

At 10am, activist Veera Somkwamkid led a patriotic demonstration with local residents, emphasising the need to protect Thailand’s sovereignty.

He reiterated his view that Cambodian settlers must withdraw from disputed areas, saying he would give Thai authorities until Oct 31 to take action.

A deadline of Oct 10, set earlier by the governor of Sa Kaeo, passed without any evictions from the two border communities taking place.

Thailand allowed Cambodian refugees to take shelter in the two communities while fleeing massacres during the Cambodian civil war over four decades ago. Dozens of families from Cambodia have since settled there permanently. (Story continues below)

The Gun Jompalang Foundation, led by social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, alias ‘Gun Jompalang’, provided shipping containers to the Burapha Task Force for military logistical use.

On Friday night Mr Guntouch played recordings of howling dogs at high volume, reportedly to intimidate Cambodian people into leaving. He was also responsible for bringing 14 septic tankers to the area in August and threatening to spray their contents at Cambodian protesters on the opposite side of a barbed wire barrier.

Across the border, about 30 to 40 Cambodian civilians, soldiers, police officers and reporters were seen monitoring Thai activities.

The situation remained calm, while Thai security forces continued to maintain a defensive posture and follow graduated response measures. (Story continues below)

At Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, a smaller number of Thai civilians were present, with no significant incidents reported. On the Cambodian side, however, about 150 civilians and reporters gathered near the barbed-wire fence and around Prey Chan village.

Witnesses said that Cambodian soldiers, police and officials facilitated activities aimed at mobilising the public and urging the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers detained in Thailand since the five-day conflict in late July.

Thailand has maintained that it has the right under international law to hold the Cambodians as prisoners of war. They are being treated well and will be repatriated only once hostilities have fully ended and a permanent ceasefire is in place, the army has said.

Three mines found

Security forces on Saturday also confirmed the discovery of three live PMN anti-personnel mines near Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, according to the Sa Kaeo Public Relations Office.

It quoted Col Chainarong Kasi, commander of Task Force 12, as saying EOD teams successfully neutralised and secured the devices without incident.

Thai forces have deployed additional security measures in the area. Seven EOD teams, equipped with detection tools and an armoured D5 clearance vehicle, are conducting systematic searches for remaining landmines and unexploded devices.

The clearance operation is expected to take three to four more days to ensure the entire area is safe, the army said. (Story continues below)

Two key missions

The First Army Region said on Saturday that troops from several units under the Burapha Task Force have been carrying out two key missions aimed at enhancing safety and promoting accurate understanding along the border.

The first mission focused on inspecting and clearing unexploded ordnance in two main sites in Aranyaprathet and Khok Sung districts following complaints by residents that they were unable to access their land.

The team conducted drone surveys and prepared detailed data for demining operations, restoring more than 38,000 square metres of safe land for residents with proper Sor Kor 1 and Nor Sor 2 land titles.

The second mission involved providing transparency to international media. Lt Col Nitithep Baramee, chief of staff of the Burapha Task Fore, led reporters from Deutsche Welle of Germany and Nikkei of Japan to five border villages and the Khlong Luek permanent border checkpoint.

The visit allowed reporters to observe the situation on the ground and confirmed that Thai operations were strictly adhering to peaceful principles while upholding national sovereignty, according to a statement from the First Army Region.

Bangkok is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and LiDAR mapping to strengthen its fragile, largely uncounted urban forest – promising safer streets, lower maintenance costs, and a high-tech shield against deadly air pollution.

Traditionally, assessing tree inventories and their conditions has been time-consuming and costly. Maintenance has required visiting every tree individually before determining whether intervention was needed. The Smart Tree Inventory (STI) changes this through a car-mounted mobile laser scanner that combines 3D scanning and panoramic imaging to rapidly capture data on thousands of trees.

Peter Sassi, Vice President of Greehill Asia-Pacific Pte, a Singapore-based tech firm specialising in mapping and managing urban green assets, explained that the STI analyses the data using AI. ‘This information is prepared for experts so that they can focus their attention on the trees that actually need help and concentrate limited maintenance resources where they matter most,’ said Sassi during his talk ‘Urban Forests for the Future: Global Lessons and Local Actions for Bangkok.’

Sassi likened the technology to medical diagnostics. ‘You can imagine this as a whole-city MRI machine,’ he said. ‘Currently, you either go to one tree and treat it – which is very expensive – or you treat an entire district and end up over-treating it.’

Measurable Impact: Safer Streets and Cost Savings

The introduction of AI-driven monitoring translates immediately into improved public safety and lower costs. Globally, STI has been shown to identify dangerous trees before they fall, reducing the risk of injury and property damage. Communities using the system report safety improvements of over 80%.

At the same time, STI enables cities to shift from blanket maintenance to precision care. By targeting trees flagged with serious lean angles, dieback, or structural defects, municipalities can save up to 30% on maintenance budgets. ‘If the bad things already happened, it’s a lot of cost to clean up afterwards,’ Sassi said. ‘But if you do some pruning before, it’s much easier.’

Local Crisis: Air Pollution and the Uncounted Forest

Bangkok’s move to digital mapping comes amid growing concern over the city’s worsening air pollution, particularly PM2.5 particulate matter. Trees remain one of Bangkok’s most effective natural defences – but managing them has been impossible without accurate data.

Assoc Prof Dr Chairat Treesubsuntorn, Head of the Remediation Laboratory at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, underscored the scale of the problem. ‘In Bangkok we face too much pollution such as particulate matter during the winters,’ he said. ‘Imagine if you have to walk to every tree to check height, diameter, and leaf count – it’s impossible.’

Of Bangkok’s estimated three million trees, fewer than 1% have been electronically documented. This massive data gap prevents the city from making informed decisions about species selection, maintenance, and pollution mitigation. ‘We have very high diversity of tree species,’ Dr Chairat added, ‘and we cannot use research from other countries easily – we need local data.’

Bridging the Gap Through Collaboration

Effective implementation depends on collaboration between the private sector, academia, and civic groups. Santi Opaspakornkij of the Big Trees Foundation noted that while the governor’s initiative has successfully planted over a million new trees, sustaining them requires long-term management.

He pointed out that many existing trees are ‘big, old, but not very strong’ due to root damage caused by later urban development. To overcome these challenges, partnerships and technology are essential. ‘When international visitors or experts say the same thing that Thai organisations have been saying for years, people tend to listen more,’ he added.

The STI serves as the unifying tool for these collaborations, offering objective data that can transform Bangkok’s urban forest into a measurable, actively managed city asset.

A Shift to a Data-Driven City

The Smart Tree Inventory represents more than a maintenance upgrade – it marks a shift toward making Bangkok a data-driven, resilient city. By digitising its green infrastructure, Bangkok is transforming neglected urban trees into a critical component of its environmental strategy, improving air quality, enhancing safety, and safeguarding public health.

This cross-sector collaboration establishes a foundation of scientific data that will guide the planting and management of the next generation of urban trees – ensuring that Bangkok’s green canopy not only grows, but thrives for decades to come.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms industries, Thailand is racing to prepare its workforce, with educators and businesses joining forces to equip people to use AI not as a replacement but to enhance human capability.

In the “Bridging Academia and Industry with AI Innovation” forum hosted recently by SkillUp, a global platform empowering students’ careers, at Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok, Greg Watkins, Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, said people cannot use AI as a substitute for learning.

“What we need now is to apply what students learn in schools to using AI as a tool across industries, so any employee can join a business and hit the ground running,” he said.

Yean Feng Yue, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM Asia Pacific, said learning should not be outsourced to AI.

The future belongs to those who can work with technology, she said. As AI takes on certain tasks, she said, humans must continue learning and move up the value chain.

AI-Ready Workforce

As technology transforms industries, jobs of the future will no longer be defined solely by academic credentials.

Narain Chutijirawong, Executive Director at Deloitte Thailand, said that the future of employment will be skills-based. Beyond working in a particular profession, such as accounting or engineering, workers will need to develop additional skills to transfer across disciplines.

“Soft skills such as critical thinking, adaptability, and curiosity will be essential,” he said.

The Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI) works with industry to identify key competencies.

Phiriyaphong Chaengchenwet, TPQI Director of Professional Qualifications Innovation Development, noted that career-readiness skills are becoming increasingly important.

“More enterprises are now training hard skills on the job. As technology evolves, education should focus on soft, career-readiness skills — passion for learning and diligence at work.”

Education-Industry Alliance

At the forum, SkillUp and TPQI signed a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate national learning and career development with industry-backed certifications. The partnership aims to provide students with clearer career pathways and aligns education more closely with the needs of employers.

SkillUp, led by CEO Peter Longstaff, aims to empower one million learners across Asean by 2030.

TPQI Director-General Jullada Meejul said, “TPQI certifications, in collaboration with SkillUp and Deloitte, will equip students with competencies in demand for 21st-century employment.”

Nisakorn Songmanee, Deloitte Thailand Talent Leader and Audit and Assurance Partner, noted that the job market is moving faster than ever, raising the question of how to prepare the Thai workforce.

“How do we ensure Thailand is not only ready to adapt but ready for meaningful careers? That’s why we developed SkillUp — not just another learning portal but an ecosystem offering many opportunities,” she said.

The forum concluded with a shared commitment to build a workforce that is not only digitally skilled but also inclusive and aligned with Thailand’s social and economic goals.

Kusuma Nawaphanpimol, Expert on International Cooperation Policy Development, Bureau of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education, affirmed the ministry’s support.

“The importance of digital skills cannot be overstated as technology reshapes societies — they’re not a priority but a necessity,” she said. The ministry is committed to fostering an education system that helps people become knowledgeable, adaptable, and ready for the 21st century. “However, we cannot achieve this alone. Partners like SkillUp and TPQI are vital in combining the strengths of academia, industry, and government.”

On Wednesday, the public relations team of the Chiang Mai provincial administration ran a much-criticised public relations campaign showing provincial governor Thosapol Phueanudom eating fish caught from the Kok River.

The image, posted on the administration’s Facebook page, showed the governor giving a thumbs up with a plate of fried fish in front of him with a caption saying: “Chiang Mai residents and tourists can be assured that fish from the Kok River caught in the Mae Ai district are safe to eat”.

Within an hour, the site drew a massive amount of comments, forcing the public relations team to remove the post on the same day.

This PR stunt reflects damage control strategies the Thai government has employed in dealing with food safety issues.

Indeed, Mr Thosapol is not the first to try and fail in using this kind of stunt.

During the avian flu crisis in 2004, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched a PR campaign where he ate fried chicken in a public display of support for the chicken industry.

This symbolic meal did little to bolster public trust, and the subsequent outbreak in the country led to the deaths of over 62 million birds and 17 human cases, with 12 fatalities.

Two decades later, we see big local governments like the Chiang Mai provincial administration still resorting to the same old PR gimmicks instead of tackling the pollution problem and food safety concerns at their core.

In March, heavy metals such as arsenic were detected in the Kok and Sai rivers, which flow through northern Thailand before merging with the Mekong. Since then, villagers living along these rivers have had to live in fear of water pollution and the health impacts that might arise from consuming fish from these waterways.

The heavy metal pollution stems from sub-standard mining operations in Myanmar’s Shan State.

Thai authorities have merely banned villagers from consuming the water and run water tests. Promises to remove sediment from rivers have gone nowhere. At the international level, efforts to bring the issue to the attention of the Myanmar government or China, the source of the mine investors, have also made no inroads.

The Anutin government’s new environment minister, Suchart Chomklin, travelled to Chiang Rai province on Thursday to listen to villagers about how to tackle the problem.

After meeting with civil society members, Mr Suchart promised he would provide “tangible” solutions. He did not specify what solutions would be, but the environment ministry has been addressing this issue for six months. At this stage, affected locals expect the minister to present a solution rather than listen to their concerns.

It is hoped that the new environment minister will demonstrate his sincerity and efficacy by establishing systematic surveillance and water testing, and by publishing real data to the community.

In terms of removing sediment, the ministry must consult with the community and experts on how it can safely be done. For food safety, the government must use professional laboratory testing to test the quality of fish caught from the polluted river.

People in the affected regions waited in vain for the previous government to tackle the problem. It is hoped that the Anutin government, with its new environment minister, will be different.