The Thai Pollution Control Department has released the results of its comprehensive sampling and testing, revealing that hundreds of unlicensed mining sites along the Myanmar border have been discharging heavy metal wastewater—rich in arsenic, mercury, and lead—into transboundary rivers for an extended period. These rivers supply daily drinking water to a total of 800,000 residents in Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, Thailand. Currently, heavy metal levels in the rivers exceed safety standards by dozens of times. Crops along the riverbanks have withered over large areas, and fish and shrimp have completely disappeared from the water. Many local villagers are exhibiting symptoms of poisoning, such as skin ulcers and liver and kidney damage.
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