Air pollution choked large parts of Thailand again this morning - as the country's Prime Minister posted pictures of herself showing off in Switzerland.

Footage shows the toxic soup of smog and smoke from agricultural burning engulfing buildings in the capital Bangkok shortly before 9am local time.

Chronic levels of air pollution with 100 microgrammes of cancer-causing PM2.5 particles per cubic metre of air have shrouded the city for two consecutive weeks.

While the unelected leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra - daughter of corruption convict and ex-Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra - travelled to Switzerland for a World Economic Forum meetup, where she took pictures of herself carrying yoghurts and posing in front of snow-covered mountains.

Air quality in Switzerland is regarded as the best in the world.

Shinawatra failed to tackle the issue, which medics say has been responsible for a meteoric rise in respiratory illnesses, with more than 10 million residents seeking treatment in 2023.

Bungling political leaders have instead pushed for measures to boost tourism revenue, including legalising cannabis, legalising casinos and a bizarre plan to host F1 races on the city's crumbling roads.

While small and large-scale landowners around the country, as well as neighbouring Cambodia and Vietnam, continue to burn waste crops to meet the demand of the food industry.

Provincial officials have advised residents to work from home due to the increased levels of air pollution in recent weeks. Schools have also been closed.

The Geo-Informatics Space Technology and Development Agency (GISTDA)'s has consistently reported that the level of PM2.5 dust exceeded 100 microgrammes per cubic metre across Bangkok. The WHO puts the safe level at five.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles - which cause cancer and other debilitating illnesses - are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April when farmers across Southeast Asia burn waste crops to clear their land.

The rudimentary method, known as 'slash and burn', is quicker and cheaper than modern machinery, leaving relatively poor landowners unwilling to heed environmental and health concerns over economic necessity.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land because it is cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

A Unicef report in 2021 found that the deaths of 7.8 million people annualy are attributed to PM2.5 air pollution.

Researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, found that exposure to PM 2.5 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai - one of the world's worst cities for air pollution - died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health says PM 2.5 also increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

Medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.