Santika Club Owner Meets Police; Prepares To Compensate Victims

[JetsetBkk]

...Deputy Chief of the Crime Suppression Division...

But aren't they the people who are supposed to...

Oh, never mind. TiT.

[sriracha john]

Thai Pop Singer Charged Over Bangkok Club Fire

BANGKOK -- Thai police said Tuesday they have charged the singer of a pop group called "Burn" with negligence for lighting fireworks that set a Bangkok club ablaze on New Year's Day, killing 65 revelers.

Gen. Jongrak Jutanont, deputy national police chief, told reporters that police had completed their investigation into the Jan. 1 fire at the upscale Santika nightclub, where more than 200 other people were injured.

"Eyewitnesses and evidence points to fireworks as the cause of the fire at Santika pub, because the fireworks hit the club ceiling and the fire broke out 30 seconds after the fireworks were lit," Jongrak said.

He said police had arrested Saravuth Ariya, 28, the lead singer of "Burn."

"He was seen carrying fireworks into the pub and lighting them during the countdown," Jongrak added.

Jongrak said Saravuth denied the charges of negligence causing death, and bail had been set at THB1 million.

The band was playing on stage as party-goers brought in 2009. Less than an hour later the nightclub was filled with smoke and flames as frantic revelers struggled to escape.

Emergency services have said the death toll was high because there were few exits and the windows on the upper floors had iron bars across them.

Some of the dead were crushed in the stampede to get out.

Saravuth is the sixth person to have been charged so far in connection with the fire.

The other five are owners and managers of the club who face charges of negligence causing death and admitting underage people.

Santika had been refused an operating license since 2004 because of safety concerns, but it remained open while appealing that decision, raising worries about standards across Thailand's many bars and nightclubs.

- AFP / 20 minutes ago

[sriracha john]

"Burn" rock-band singer arrested, charged with causing Santika Pub fire

Police Tuesday arrested the singer of the Burn rock band and blamed him for causing the Santika Pub fire on New Year's Eve.

Sarawut Ariya, the singer, was arrested and charged with negligence causing deaths and injuries.

Police said Sarawut was the one who lit a firework, that flew up about 10 metres into the air, causing decorations at the ceiling of the pub to catch fire.

Police said the pyrotechnic effects of the pub did not cause fire because they were not high enough to reach the ceiling.

Sarawut alerted his band members to flee when he noticed the fire, leaving dozens to be killed and injured.

- The Nation / 2009-01-27

[mrtoad]

Looks like the BIB have got their main scapegoat, which will probably alow them to cover up all the coruption and save the sorry asses of White & Brothers.

[TAWP]

What a surprise that the raids stopped when the dirty colonel got a couple of shares...

Again, bring back death penalty for officials misusing their positions for personal gain.

Edited January 27, 2009 by TAWP

[Old Man River]

Looks like the BIB have got their main scapegoat, which will probably alow them to cover up all the coruption and save the sorry asses of White & Brothers.

This one can't be pushed under the carpet so easily. Besides the criminal case, Thai law now allows civil cases to be brought against a company's directors. That means if they wish, every single burn victim can bring a separate court case against the company's directors. While some may want to settle out of court, others may not.

[Scott]

Yes, a bit of the Chinese type justice might start to bring some of these problems under control.

[raro]

<br />Yes, a bit of the Chinese type justice might start to bring some of these problems under control.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Do you really believe that the death penalty in China has curbed corruption? Don't want to bring this thread off topic, but corruption in China is rampant, even though there is the death penalty for corruption in office.

[sriracha john]

Thai Pop Singer Charged Over Bangkok Club Fire

BANGKOK -- Thai police said Tuesday they have charged the singer of a pop group called "Burn" with negligence for lighting fireworks that set a Bangkok club ablaze on New Year's Day, killing 65 revelers.

"Eyewitnesses and evidence points to fireworks as the cause of the fire at Santika pub, because the fireworks hit the club ceiling and the fire broke out 30 seconds after the fireworks were lit," Jongrak said.

He said police had arrested Saravuth Ariya, 28, the lead singer of "Burn."

"He was seen carrying fireworks into the pub and lighting them during the countdown," Jongrak added.

The accused:

[Samuian]

I feel very sorry for this guy.... all of a sudden he is the culprit, even there have been massive irregularities against varius laws and regulations.

Are the ferrari kids and and this countries hi-so high flyers get away with i t once again?

[Bangyai]

Looks like the BIB have got their main scapegoat, which will probably alow them to cover up all the coruption and save the sorry asses of White & Brothers.

Or as some wag in the Bangkok Post forum put it........' next up ,cleaning lady, security guard, janitor etc '.

[mrtoad]

I feel very sorry for this guy.... all of a sudden he is the culprit, even there have been massive irregularities against varius laws and regulations.

Are the ferrari kids and and this countries hi-so high flyers get away with i t once again?

I don't think it would a surprise if this was too happen. Whilst he certainly has to take responsibility, if he was setting off fireworks, there are also a number of other people that also need to share that.

All rather convenient, all rather Thai.

[TheWalkingMan]

The accused:

You know, when I look at this guys pic all I can think of is: patsy, fall guy, mark, chump, pigeon and scapegoat. Not to sound crass, but anyone wanna bet that this guy bares the brunt of all this.

TheWalkingMan

[Old Man River]

The accused:

You know, when I look at this guys pic all I can think of is: patsy, fall guy, mark, chump, pigeon and scapegoat. Not to sound crass, but anyone wanna bet that this guy bares the brunt of all this.

TheWalkingMan

Well, it isn't like this guy is innocent. He may not be the only guilty party, but let's face it, the owner's of Santika would have got away with operating a fire trap if this guy didn't come along and set the place on fire.

[raro]

Well, it isn't like this guy is innocent. He may not be the only guilty party, but let's face it, the owner's of Santika would have got away with operating a fire trap if this guy didn't come along and set the place on fire.

I just do not believe that he walked into the place with a bundle of fireworks under his arm and lit them off - without the knowledge and consent and possible order from Santika Management.

Lighting a firework without being aware of the possible consequences AND with the consent of the club's management is not guilty in my books.

[mrtoad]

Well, it isn't like this guy is innocent. He may not be the only guilty party, but let's face it, the owner's of Santika would have got away with operating a fire trap if this guy didn't come along and set the place on fire.

I just do not believe that he walked into the place with a bundle of fireworks under his arm and lit them off - without the knowledge and consent and possible order from Santika Management.

Lighting a firework without being aware of the possible consequences AND with the consent of the club's management is not guilty in my books.

He's an idiot, and that's for sure, lighting a fierowrk inside.

He needs to take responsibility, but there are a number of other people higher up the food chain that need to be implicated and investigated. He is the scapegoat, and there is no surprise in this. BMA, BIB, Santika management and shareholders, are all complicit in this tragedy.

Total joke IMO, but hardly surprising.

[callum06]

Any up-dates on the story??

[animatic]

I saw the video;

he was singing, not lighting fireworks.

When the stuff started falling he looked shocked.

It was easy to blame the band guy,

but bands don't do this while on stage,

technicians and other people would do it.

[george]

Update:

SANTIKA PUB FIRE

BMA completes probe into Santika Pub inferno

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's probe into the Santika Pub inferno that killed 66 people and injured many others on New Year's Eve has found district officials from the public works office as well as district director guilty of not inspecting the building, a BMA source said yesterday.

The investigation committee submitted a 1,000-page report to city clerk Pongsak Semsan on Monday. After summoning some 15 involved officials, the committee concluded that there were three faults: the consideration of the permit before it was issued; building inspection during construction; and inspection of the building's modification.

The committee also found that the pub's building did not comply with the blueprint submitted and that the owners had not sought permission for modifying the building, nor did they apply for a permit for the usage of the building, the source said.

In other words, the club owners had not obtained any permits for the building.

As for inspection during construction, the committee said it suspected it had not been studied by the public works, thus deeming it a negligence of duty, despite officials' claims of having done so.

As for taxes, the committee only inspected taxes that directly involved BMA, namely property and land taxes, and found that the faults in this aspect did not compare to the faults with the building. City officials also presented the committee with documents warning the club owner to pay taxes between 2005 and 2008, which means the officials had done their duty, the source said. Besides property and land taxes could be collected as far back as ten years thus its statute of liberty was still active.

The source said the committee identified officials involved in the case, which included district public works officials and their supervisor.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Prakob Jirakitti said he was told that the investigation report had been completed but hadn't seen the report yet because it had probably been sent to the city clerk first. He confirmed that if any officials were identified as being at fault, they would face legal action.

-- The Nation 2009-03-05

[Oberkommando]

Besides property and land taxes could be collected as far back as ten years thus its statute of liberty was still active.

[cloudhopper]

Follow up article by the beeb:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7981841.stm

[Buchholz]

The verdict in the Santika pub fire trial will be read out at the Criminal Court today.

The worst nightclub fire in Thailand killed 67 people and wounded 103 two years ago.

[webfact]

please continue:

Bangkok Santika Pub Fire Verdict Today

Follow this link:

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