Thailand to raise arsenic-tainted rivers in talks with Myanmar

Vessels take part in a Thai royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River for the offering ceremony of the royal kathin robes to Buddhist monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) on the occasion of Queen Suthida's 48th birthday, which fell in June, in Bangkok on Nov. 6. | REUTERS

Bloomberg

Nov 11, 2026

Thailand will seek urgent action from Myanmar over suspected mining pollution in cross-border rivers after arsenic levels surged to as much as 30 times the Thai standard, threatening drinking water and farmland in the country’s north.

Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow will raise pollution in the Kok, Sai and Ruak rivers when he meets Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Thursday, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. Myanmar officials weren’t immediately available to comment.

While Thai authorities have yet to identify the source of the latest arsenic spike, officials suspect the contamination is from upstream mining in Myanmar’s Shan State, where environmental groups have alleged Chinese companies operate diggings. The problem is particularly difficult to tackle because the rivers cross borders, and some of the suspected mines lie in areas beyond the Myanmar government’s full control.

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