Vehicle Inspector Reassigned Amid Deadly School Bus Fire Probe

[webfact]

 

 

On October 2, 2024, Jirut Wisaljitr, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, announced an investigation following a tragic school bus fire.

 

The bus, carrying students from Wat Khao Phrayasangkaram School in Uthai Thani for a field trip, caught fire near the Anusorn Monument interchange in Pathum Thani, resulting in multiple injuries and fatalities.

Suriya Juangroongruangkit, Minister of Transport, and Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Minister of Transport, ordered an immediate investigation to ensure stricter safety measures and prevent similar incidents.

 

In response, the Department of Land Transport has established a fact-finding committee. Two senior officials from the Sing Buri Provincial Transport Office, including the head of vehicle inspection, were reassigned to assist in the investigation. If any wrongdoing is discovered, the Department has pledged to enforce the highest level of disciplinary action.

 

This swift response aims to uphold safety standards and prevent future accidents.

 

Picture courtesy: Siam Rath

 

-- 2024-10-03

 

[Artisi]

Closing door, bolting horse comes to mind. 

[MikeandDow]

Would like to know to what standards these inspectors are working to what are there qualifications or is it who pays the best bribe, Normally all this would come out in a Public inquiry but not here its left to the police or a committee and as soon as its out of the public eye its forgotten or it takes 20 yrs and a slap on the wrist  the apathy in this county has to change if Thailand is to move forward.

[thesetat2013]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

This swift response aims to uphold safety standards and prevent future accidents.

As much as I would like to believe this to be true. This is Thailand and they NEVER follow through with these types of comments. Blowing hot air to ensure a sense of trust that you can put your kid on a school bus and feel safe that is has been inspected and operates properly and that the driver has been checked and is licensed and safe. 

I think every foreigner knows this if they have lived in Thailand long enough. 

[NE1]

37 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Closing door, bolting horse comes to mind. 

Nothing ever happens here until somebody is dead .

There is no preventative maintenance , just knee jerk reactions after the event.

 

 

[motdaeng]

6 minutes ago, NE1 said:

Nothing ever happens here until somebody is dead .

There is no preventative maintenance , just knee jerk reactions after the event.

 

unfortunately, you're wrong! even if there are fatalities, safety measures will not be improved in the long term ... never will happen in thailand!

lives don't matter ... never have and never will!

[Kerryd]

Nothing in the OP or the original article says anyone was actually removed.

In the SiamRath article this story was translated from, the headline is:"ด่วน! สั่งเด้ง “หัวหน้านายช่างตรวจสภาพรถ” ขนส่งสิงห์บุรี เซ่นบัสนักเรียนไฟไหม้ พร้อมตั้งคณะกรรมการสอบข้อเท็จจริง".

Google translate isn't the greatest when it comes to translating Thai to English (or the other way around), but it translates that headline into:
"Urgent! Order to dismiss "Chief Vehicle Inspector" of Singburi Transport as a sacrifice for the school bus fire, along with setting up a fact-finding committee".

Meanwhile, nothing in the article says anyone was dismissed. Just that 2 senior officials were assigned to investigate.
"assigning two civil servants, one in the position of head of the department (an experienced vehicle inspection technician) and one in the vehicle inspection division of the Singburi Provincial Transport Office, to assist in official duties at the Department of Land Transport to ensure that the fact-finding investigation proceeds smoothly."

And as I mentioned on the Facecrook post, a lot of people will jump and shout in front of the cameras for the next week promising changes and enforcement and standards (yadda yadda) and then a week later it will be back to "business as per normal".

Just like happens after every nightclub/hotel/shopping mall fire where dozens are killed.

 

[smedly]

vehicle inspector ?

 

omg

 

23 kids dead 

 

i will bite my tongue grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

this is the ### ultimately responsible, like all the rest - unfit for purpose

 

Jirut Wisaljitr, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

Would like to know to what standards these inspectors are working to what are there qualifications or is it who pays the best bribe, Normally all this would come out in a Public inquiry but not here its left to the police or a committee and as soon as its out of the public eye its forgotten or it takes 20 yrs and a slap on the wrist  the apathy in this county has to change if Thailand is to move forward.

 You forget... when the brown envelope has been delivered and distributed, bus OK, keep driving... 

[ikke1959]

For the tax paying you need your car being inspected at a station.. Last year there was an old car with a lot of blacksmoke, a broken brakelight at the back but there was no problem, he got his paper and could go to pay the tax.. That is what only counts in Thailand... pay the tax, but don't check vehicles decently... and that is only 1 I was witnessing how many other with more problems are being approved?? Besides that let your car check at your dealer and they only renew/replace some parts, but never check the profiles on the tires, the brakes, the pressure of the tires and several more unless you ask for it and than they still don't do it... No wonder so many dangerous vehicles are on the roads

[NE1]

59 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Last year there was an old car with a lot of blacksmoke, a broken brakelight at the back but there was no problem, he got his paper and could go to pay the tax..

I also see this when I go get mine " tested " before I get " approved " so I can get taxed.

[Crossy]

34 minutes ago, NE1 said:

I also see this when I go get mine " tested " before I get " approved " so I can get taxed.

 

Yup, similar experience earlier this year.

 

First "MOT" for our Mu-X. Parked in the waiting area. Nice young lady took the keys and payment, then parked over the inspection pit. We sat and watched. 10 minutes or so later the young lady came out with our certificate and receipt for the payment.

 

Nobody had been near the car!! (unless there's a secret passageway from the office to the inspection pit)

 

Not that it would have failed of course, regularly dealer serviced and new rubber in June last year.

 

[NE1]

The worse One I saw was belching smoke from a " go faster exhaust " that it cleared the Inspection area and people waiting , the inspection crew started laughing.

When I went to get my Tax , the guy with the black smoking exhaust was also picking his Tax disc up.

[fondue zoo]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

vehicle inspector ?

 

omg

 

23 kids dead 

 

i will bite my tongue grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

this is the ### ultimately responsible, like all the rest - unfit for purpose

 

Jirut Wisaljitr, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport

 

 

GRRR indeed, I can only hope the translation is badly worded and incomplete. 

See to those responsible and punish, yes,  - but more importantly -  ffs enforce whatever laws/regulations you have in relation to this tragedy so that it doesn't happen again.

 

Sad to say, but my Thai friends say this will be forgotten in a week, it's not the first time it's happened and will not be the last.

It's almost always the lowest hanging fruit in the kingdom of Siam.

 

 

_{/end rant}

 

 

[ChipButty]

Anybody have info on the bus company? I wonder how many more of them death traps they have, 

[lordgrinz]

Look for unusual wealth, then you will have found the culprits. 

[khunphil]

35 minutes ago, NE1 said:

The worse One I saw was belching smoke from a " go faster exhaust " that it cleared the Inspection area and people waiting , the inspection crew started laughing.

When I went to get my Tax , the guy with the black smoking exhaust was also picking his Tax disc up.

That's Thailand, "mai pen rai" attitude, but I can "live with it" on private cars, even if not acceptable, or dangerous .. But when we deal with bus, taxi, minivan, song-teow, that everyone can use, we really need to do a proactive check yearly. Really sad story ....

[lordgrinz]

1 minute ago, khunphil said:

That's Thailand, "mai pen rai" attitude, but I can "live with it" on private cars, even if not acceptable, or dangerous .. But when we deal with bus, taxi, minivan, song-teow, that everyone can use, we really need to do a proactive check yearly. Really sad story ....

 

That's how we got here, when someone believes rules only apply to others, not themselves. 

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Yup, similar experience earlier this year.

 

First "MOT" for our Mu-X. Parked in the waiting area. Nice young lady took the keys and payment, then parked over the inspection pit. We sat and watched. 10 minutes or so later the young lady came out with our certificate and receipt for the payment.

 

Nobody had been near the car!! (unless there's a secret passageway from the office to the inspection pit)

 

Not that it would have failed of course, regularly dealer serviced and new rubber in June last year.

 

Thais are efficient. 

Farang, looks like he works here, with a reasonably new car - why waste resources to inspect it?

[kimamey]

The reports I've seen say a tyre blew out. That can happen to anyone but I do see a lot of tyres with no tread. Do they over inflate tyres on vehicles like these as they seem to do on motorcycles. That might cause a blow out especially on an old or poor quality tyre.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, NE1 said:

Nothing ever happens here until somebody is dead

That doesn't always work either.

 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

On October 2, 2024, Jirut Wisaljitr, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, announced an investigation following a tragic school bus fire.

His first question should be "what was a 54 year old bus still doing on the road" ??

[lordgrinz]

Just now, hotchilli said:

That doesn't always work either.

 

 

It does, for about 1-2 weeks, then its forgotten.

[hotchilli]

3 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

It does, for about 1-2 weeks, then its forgotten.

Days

[gk10012001]

Inspecting is a fine idea, if the inspection process has the proper things checked.  How about more than one way out of the bus than the front entrance door, i.e. side windows that can easily be opened, removed, smashed open etc.?  How about roof hatches that can be opened in case of emergency, bus turned over or front door unable to be open. 

[Bday Prang]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Two senior officials from the Sing Buri Provincial Transport Office, including the head of vehicle inspection, were reassigned to assist in the investigation. If any wrongdoing is discovered, the Department has pledged to enforce the highest level of disciplinary action.

Although that depends on identifying a suitable scapegoat to pin the blame on.     One thing is for sure , this will not be allowed to reflect badly on the minister for transport or any others  of similar status

[Will B Good]

 

 

 

 

Someone, somewhere in the system must be experiencing severe ring twitter

[MikeN]

4 hours ago, Kerryd said:

 Order to dismiss "Chief Vehicle Inspector" of Singburi Transport 

Meanwhile, nothing in the article says anyone was dismissed. Just that 2 senior officials were assigned to investigate.
"assigning two civil servants, one in the position of head of the department (an experienced vehicle inspection technician) and one in the vehicle inspection division of the Singburi Provincial Transport Office, to assist in official duties at the Department of Land Transport to ensure that the fact-finding investigation proceeds smoothly."
 

 

"assigned to investigate"?  Or that could mean that those 2 officials were assigned to an inactive post at the DLT so that they do not interfere with the investigation ...."to ensure the investigation proceeds smoothly".

[fondue zoo]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Anybody have info on the bus company? I wonder how many more of them death traps they have, 

 

The bus belongs to Chinnaboot Tour, based in Sing Buri.

- according to the BP article

[steve187]

2 hours ago, NE1 said:

The worse One I saw was belching smoke from a " go faster exhaust " that it cleared the Inspection area and people waiting , the inspection crew started laughing.

When I went to get my Tax , the guy with the black smoking exhaust was also picking his Tax disc up.

so they test and you collect tax disc on  the same visit, where did you have this done, DLT or roadside test centre