Basic safety standards not up to par
City Hall has briefly closed 83 away from 400 pubs within Bangkok found to get low safety standards in the wake of Friday’s inferno on the Mountain B bar in Chon Buri’s Sattahip that killed 15 people and injured 38.
The survey on which the closures were based was carried out after a recent bar fire in the Silom area, city chief excutive Chadchart Sittipunt said on Saturday.
Many got failed to ensure their fire exists were clearly visible, he said.
Most pub-goers could not tell which cafes met safety criteria so the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration together with city police had executed the inspection, he said.
The Ministry of Interior, meanwhile, has sent an immediate letter to provincial administrations ordering them to carry out regular home inspections of pubs and related businesses plus report back on a monthly basis.
Suttipong Juljarern, permanent secretary for interior, stated provincial administrative regulators are responsible for inspecting and ensuring that entertainment businesses comply with the law.
Officials which fail to follow the order may end up facing not only disciplinary motion but also criminal actions, he said.
Pub inferno toll goes up to 15
Thanakrit Ninoi, 36, the severely injured victim of the Sattahip bar fire, died on Saturday, bringing the loss of life toll to fifteen. His younger cousin Nittaya and Thankakrit’s wife went to Hill B with more than ten friends to enjoy his birthday.
They were sitting down right in front the pub’s live-music phase when the blaze pennyless out. On Fri two of Thanakrit’s friends, Surakan Ruangrit, 35, and Suthep Monkhonkaeo, 33, had been confirmed dead.
The fire dealt the family an enormous blow as Thanakrit’s wife is now inside a coma from accidents sustained at the bar. Their two daughters are very young plus dependent on their mothers and fathers, Ms Nittaya said.
Sattahip municipality on Sunday issued a notice summoning Pongsiri Panprasong, 28, who is discovered variously as the owner and manager from the pub, to recognize a municipality cost of unauthorised modification of a public building.
Narong Bunchanchoet, mayor associated with Sattahip municipality, said Mountain B had been granted permission within 2018 to operate being an open-air restaurant, not a pub. Complaints have been received by the municipality over noise, compelling an inspection, he or she said.
Last night Mr Pongsiri was also brought in to get questioning by law enforcement after a court issued a warrant towards him.
Five older police transferred
Pol Maj Gen Atthasit Kitchahan, chief associated with Chon Buri provincial police, on Friday night signed an order transferring 5 senior police from active duty while a committee investigates their role in permitting Mountain B to use without the correct licences.
These are Pol Col Wutthiphong Somchai, superintendent associated with Phlu Ta Luang police station; Pol Lt Col Somsak Ruying; Pol Luxury touring Col Towong Saklunwong, his two deputies; Pol Maj Somya Chusukphonyiam, the station’s chief investigator; plus Pol Maj Yutthana Songkrasan, its mind of crime investigation and suppression.
Earlier, Pol Col Korawat Hanpradit, deputy Chon Buri provincial police key, said a bring about has been issued against the owner, identified within the warrant as Mr Pongsiri. However , the precise identity of the owner remains unclear, with one rumour suggesting a woman known just as Fern had fled during the open fire while another implicated two influential local figures.
Meanwhile, inspectors examining the wreckage upon Saturday said the space was too little to take a large number of guests and contravened building control laws. Greater than 100 people were inside the pub at the time of the particular fire.
Mountain B acquired no insurance, mentioned Suttipol Taweechaikarn, secretary-general of the Office of the Insurance Commission. Phakkhathon Thianchai, Chon Buri governor, said the centre would offer preliminary help to sufferers of the fire plus their families.