Thailand’s ambassador to the UAE has said the country would reaffirm commitments on carbon neutrality, cut green house gas emissions and work to limit polluting clouds that are choking its cities.
Sorayut Chasombat said his country and other South-East Asian nations faced recurring challenges of air pollution.
Authorities have blamed forest fires and widespread crop burning for smog and poor air quality particularly in Thailand’s popular northern Chiang Mai. This has kept tourists away and sent thousands of people to hospital for respiratory-related diseases during the dry season typically from November to March.
The government has called for action with laws in place to prevent crop waste burning.
To make a change, we have to understand that everyone must be on board,” he said.
Sorayut Chasombat,
Ambassador of Thailand
“In the north of Thailand we have dust and pollution and that is something other countries in South-East Asia are also addressing,” Mr Chasombat told The National.
“We face challenges regarding climate change and if we don’t take adequate measures it will affect us because Thailand, by and large, we are still an agricultural country.”
Climate targets
On the critical issues of UN climate goals, Mr Chasombat who took office as envoy this year, said Thailand would renew pledges to adhere to international targets on net zero emissions, drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and move to solar and renewable energy sources.
“This is something we are working very hard on,” he said.
“We are paying attention to balancing economic growth and preservation to enable the country and our people cope with climate change.”
Net zero refers to not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Experts have said that apart from action by governments, the public and industry too must play a part by burning less polluting fuel in homes and in factories.
The envoy looked forward to the participation of youth and civil society at Cop28 in November in Dubai to help spread the message.
“To make a change, we have to understand that everyone must be on board,” he said.
"At Cop28, there will not be more legal commitment but it aims to make sure that what we have already negotiated will be implemented in full.”
Asia partnership
Thailand and the UAE are also in the process of establishing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with talks in Bangkok this week.
This follows the launch of the first UAE-Thai Business council in February this year.
Thailand is the second largest economy in South-East Asia and the UAE is Thailand’s biggest trade partner in the Middle East and North Africa region.
An agreement will boost non-oil trade between the two nations that increased 21 per cent in 2022 to $6.1 billion.
“The CEPA is very important to Thailand as we are hoping to increase both trade and investment,” Mr Chasombat said.
The UAE has also signed economic agreements with Indonesia and Cambodia in the South-East Asia region over the past year.
“This is a wholistic approach by the UAE because we are a combined force as a group of Asean countries.
“We are keen on being a good partner and it’s very important for us, Asean and the UAE to work closely together.”
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
Event Gates – security and manufacturing
Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
