The onset of the annual burning season in South-East Asia has prompted significant alarm over its detrimental effects on air quality and public health.
This customary practice, prevalent in countries like Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, involves controlled fires for land clearance ahead of agricultural activities.
To address the issue, government officials from areas bordering Laos and Thailand gathered on 27 March in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to strategise collaborative solutions. Representatives from the Lao provinces of Xayabouly and Bokeo, along with counterparts from Cambodia and Myanmar, attended the meeting.
