Poonsak of the People's Party asked whether the government will continue to allow garbage dump fires to occur every year like this, pointing out that these are not accidents but a failure of the state due to unclear waste management.
On 12 April 2026, Poonsak Chanjamphai, a party-list MP from the People's Party, posted on Facebook questioning the government about the fire situations in Phuket and Hat Yai, asking how many more times the government will allow the country to repeatedly "burn" like this? He noted that this problem is not new but rather a 'pollution time bomb.' The state has neglected it because Thailand still has over 2,000 open garbage pits scattered nationwide that fail to meet standards. Last year alone there were over 150 fires, with no containment systems, no leachate management, and importantly, no methane gas management systems despite methane being highly flammable. This event is not an accident but a failure in waste management causing people to inhale toxic smoke and poisons daily.
Poonsak also said that he had already spoken about this issue on the government's policy announcement day, 10 April 2026, stating that "this government lacks clarity in its waste management policy." Today, the question is how the government will resolve the problem of burning garbage dumps? Or will it ultimately allow the fires to continue and let the people "suffer as usual"?
"This issue is not just about fires. It is the entire broken waste management system: no sorting at the source, open dumping, annual fires, lack of pollution control, no law enforcement, and the government never addresses the root cause. I want to ask the government directly: will you continue to allow the garbage dump fire season to happen every year like this?" Poonsak concluded.