High air pollution levels in Thai capital spark order for city employees to work from home

BANGKOK (AP) — City employees in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, have been ordered to work from home for two days as air pollution soars to unhealthy levels. Those in the private sector have been encouraged to stay home as well. Air pollution has been a problem for many years in Thailand’s north, where the burning of forests and agricultural waste are major contributing factors. But in recent years Bangkok has also begun to suffer greatly with extended periods of high pollution that have led to school closings and other disruptions. The Department of Pollution Control declared last month that Bangkok had officially entered its annual smog season, but the region has suffered from deteriorating air quality since late last year.