Thai Rock Singer Charged Over Santika Pub Inferno

[dee123]

It would seem that the Police Colonel has had something to do with the club not being subject to law enforcement. If proven then this indicates criminality.

However, as a shareholder, he's not criminally responsible for how the club was operated, only financially responsible.

[Insight]

The new video shows how fast everything happened, it looks like within the space of 30 seconds the whole roof has fallen down... again i couldn't see the singer in question doing anything wrong the police will continue to make a pigs ear out of this while the worlds press looks on..... shame on you Thailand.

Woke up to that clip being played on the Breakfast show this morning - absolute shocker.

Had a quick look on YouTube but doesn't seem to be uploaded there yet.

[john b good]

And from this mornings Bangkok Post

A slightly different version......

What ever the truth (if that ever becomes known) there are some very guilty people "with a lot of blood on their hands" walking the streets of the big mango.

DSI to take over Santika fire case

By: Bangkokpost.com

Published: 2/02/2009 at 09:06 PM The Justice Ministry wants to take over investigation into the New Year inferno at Santika Pub as it has found some flaws in police's investigation into the fire which killed 66 people.

The ministry's investigation also found possible involvement of the entertainment venue with illicit drugs and money-laundering, said minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga on Monday.

Therefore, the case should be handled by the ministry's Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

The minister said he would propose the special investigation board to take over the case from the Bangkok police next Tuesday.

According to Mr Pirapan, police's investigation attributed the fire to Saravuth Ariya, the lead vocalist of the Burn rock band, who was accused of using a lighter to ignite a firework and thus causing the blaze.

However, Justice Ministry's investigators found a surveillance camera recording at the crime scene that completely rules out the charge.

In the recording, the singer had not lit any firework but had left the stage before the fire broke out.

The tape shows fireworks in the pub had been ignited with an electronic device, not a lighter. The fire spread quickly possibly because the ceiling of the pub might bear flammable materials.

The minister doubted why there were few witnesses accounts in the police probe despite the fact that a number of people were eager to testify after the incident.

The ministry's investigators also found traces of heroin and cocaine in accounting and marketing offices as well as musicians' room at the pub. The traces were on money wraps, sofas, file cabinets, and drawers.

That might convince that narcotics had been traded at the Santika pub and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board would further look into the issue, he said.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office had been instructed to investigate possible money-laundering at the pub as 20 million baht had been transferred to the pub's account but its source could not be clarified, he said.

The pub management claimed that a liquor company had given the amount but the concerned company already denied that, Mr Pirapan said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva agreed with the ministry's proposal to have the DSI take over the case from the police.

He dismissed speculation that Mr Pirapan's revelation of the ministry's investigation could create rift between the police and the DSI investigators, saying that he had already instructed to two agencies to work together on the case.

[dee123]

And from this mornings Bangkok Post

A slightly different version......

What ever the truth (if that ever becomes known) there are some very guilty people "with a lot of blood on their hands" walking the streets of the big mango.

DSI to take over Santika fire case

By: Bangkokpost.com

Published: 2/02/2009 at 09:06 PM The Justice Ministry wants to take over investigation into the New Year inferno at Santika Pub as it has found some flaws in police's investigation into the fire which killed 66 people.

The ministry's investigation also found possible involvement of the entertainment venue with illicit drugs and money-laundering, said minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga on Monday.

Therefore, the case should be handled by the ministry's Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

The minister said he would propose the special investigation board to take over the case from the Bangkok police next Tuesday.

According to Mr Pirapan, police's investigation attributed the fire to Saravuth Ariya, the lead vocalist of the Burn rock band, who was accused of using a lighter to ignite a firework and thus causing the blaze.

However, Justice Ministry's investigators found a surveillance camera recording at the crime scene that completely rules out the charge.

In the recording, the singer had not lit any firework but had left the stage before the fire broke out.

The tape shows fireworks in the pub had been ignited with an electronic device, not a lighter. The fire spread quickly possibly because the ceiling of the pub might bear flammable materials.

The minister doubted why there were few witnesses accounts in the police probe despite the fact that a number of people were eager to testify after the incident.

The ministry's investigators also found traces of heroin and cocaine in accounting and marketing offices as well as musicians' room at the pub. The traces were on money wraps, sofas, file cabinets, and drawers.

That might convince that narcotics had been traded at the Santika pub and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board would further look into the issue, he said.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office had been instructed to investigate possible money-laundering at the pub as 20 million baht had been transferred to the pub's account but its source could not be clarified, he said.

The pub management claimed that a liquor company had given the amount but the concerned company already denied that, Mr Pirapan said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva agreed with the ministry's proposal to have the DSI take over the case from the police.

He dismissed speculation that Mr Pirapan's revelation of the ministry's investigation could create rift between the police and the DSI investigators, saying that he had already instructed to two agencies to work together on the case.

ok but please read the BBC report of the more important facts regarding police involvement."Thai Police Blamed in Club Fire"This report in the Bangkok Post is merely trivia and self censored

Edited February 3, 2009 by dee123

[sriracha john]

Justice Ministry Reveals New Footage of Santika Blaze

The Justice Ministry is preparing to propose the Santika Pub as a special case, as they discover evidence of corruption, tax evasion, and drugs inside the venue. A video-recording of the blaze as it happened has led the police to believe that it is unlikely a male singer was the person who caused the fire.

This is the recording of events at the Santika Pub blaze caught on camera by a clubber. This piece of evidence, which had been neglected by the police, was collected by the Forensic Institute at the crime scene two days after the fire.

The recordings have also led the investigating team at the Justice Ministry to believe that Sarawut Ariya, the lead singer of the band 'Burn', who lit the fireworks, is likely not the source of the fire, as was stated by witnesses.

The Forensic Institute conducted an reanactment by shooting fireworks at the ceiling, in which the fire spread slowly. In the recordings, the fire spread rapidly.

Justice Minister Peeraphan Saleerattavipak is preparing to propose the Santika Pub blaze as a special case to be transferred to the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI, due to the numerous issues found at the pub, such as corruption, fake documents submitted for construction permits, and 20 million baht in the pub's bank account that had not been taxed.

Moreover, drugs like heroin and cocaine were found in the singer's dressing room and the accounting and marketing offices.

Furthermore, it was found that Santika Pub had been on trial several times, but the cases reached no decisions. The Justice Minister is preparing to bring these issues to the special investigation team on February 11 to be considered a special case.

The prime minister will be informed verbally before reports are submitted this week.

- TOC / 2009-02-02

[animatic]

Moreover, drugs like heroin and cocaine were found in the singer's dressing room and the accounting and marketing offices.

Haven't seen one club anywhere in the world that doesn't have traces of drugs

on ANY table and counter top in the whole place.

Suddenly it's THIS singers dressing room as drug den.

It may have been his that evening, but hundreds passed through in the recent past.

And I doubt the singer was in accounting much. Just 'club life' going on.

You can find trace of drugs on most MONEY changing hands world wide.

Just more distraction and an attempt to nail Burn's singer for something,

since the fire starter bit is falling apart.

Edited February 3, 2009 by animatic

[UncleFrank]

I said it the day after the fire. Why are the Police allowed to investigate this when they are suspects?

A month later and the DSI takes over...after the suspects gather and contaminate the crime.

Unbelievable.

Criminals are running the country.

I hope some victims family has enough money to get to the truth.

[BSJ]

Before a senior police officer, Police Colonel Prayont Lasua, bought a share in the business in 2006 the club had been raided 47 times for operating without a licence. After he invested it was never raided again.

Would it be to much of a stretch to think the cop put his foot down and cleaned up the club??? Nah, what am I thinking!

[samgrowth]

First, Thaksin drivers and gardender are share holders in SHIN.

Now, car jockey owns the club.

Wow, I didn't know that there are so many rich people working for peanuts in Thailand.

[HorseDoctor]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7865349.stm

And from the BBC's Jonathan Head

Notice however the use of the term " Un named shareholder, straight off the Nation report...Read the Bangkok Post Mr. Head

An initial investigation into a fire at a Bangkok nightclub that killed 66 people has found serious failings by the police and city authorities.

The fire ripped through the club on New Year's Eve, and many people died because the building had only one exit.

Thai investigators said that the signatures of building inspectors had been forged repeatedly.

They also said the police ended raids on the club in 2005, after an unnamed person was made a shareholder.

While the police initially focused their attention on what caused the fire at the Santika Club, a parallel investigation ordered by the government has looked at a much bigger and more sensitive question - how was it that a building with no fire exits and no official permit to operate as an entertainment venue could stay open for four years?

This was not an obscure back-street club - the Santika was one of the most popular in Bangkok. That second investigation has now released some preliminary findings; they report that the signatures of the building inspectors had been repeatedly forged, and that the club had avoided paying tax.

More revealingly, they say police raids on the club - a common occurrence in Bangkok - mysteriously stopped in 2005, right after an unnamed person was made a shareholder.

Sources close to the investigation have told the BBC that person is a police colonel, and that many more police officers are implicated.

None of this will come as any surprise to those familiar with Bangkok's lively and lucrative nightlife.

Pay-offs to the police are a routine part of business, say nightclub owners - fire safety inspections are not.

But Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has signalled that he wants this to change by ordering the Department of Special Investigations - Thailand's FBI - to take over the inquest into the Santika fire.

That increases the chances that any police role in this tragedy will be exposed.

[Scott]

I didn't read the article the same way that some did. It sounds like the singer is more-or-less off the hook. Finding traces of narcotics in the dressing room would be VERY difficult to link to him directly. Also, since traces of drugs were found in so many places it sounds like the club may have had a wider problem that can't be easily placed on one individual.

The taces found may be significant or insignificant, but the number of irregularities surrounding the investigation would warrant a review of almost everything.

Sounds like a lot of 'unwholesome' people involved in this club.

[HorseDoctor]

IN every social revolution, there is a catalyst, a tragedy of epic proportions usually.

The sinking of Titanic was the beginnng of the end of economic class divisions in the US as so many died simply because they were poor and on the lower decks..

Could this be the ThaiTanic, where the systemic corruption is finally dealt a death blow? Could it be?...Naw !

[sriracha john]

Another Scapegoat hangs to dry while the Colonel wriggles free?

*someone else is also using the exact same terminology*

Burn lead singer is scapegoat : Justice Ministry

*there's that same word again*

Deputy Police Chief Denies Arresting Scapegoat in Santika Fire Case

The Deputy National Police Chief has denied that he is using a male leader singer as a scapegoat in the Santika Pub blaze case, saying his arrest is based on evidence.

Deputy National Police Chief Police General Jongruk Juthanont said investigators in charge of the Santika Pub fire case are not using the lead singer of the rock band called 'Burn' as a scapegoat, as eyewitnesses testified that he ignited a firecracker while performing on stage, although the footage disclosed by the Justice Ministry shows he did not do so.

Police General Jongruk insisted that the police request for the court arrest warrant of the singer was made in compliance with the evidence.

The Deputy Police Chief stated he has no conflict with the Justice Ministry and its disclosure of the footage does not embarrass him as the case is still in the stage of collecting evidence.

As for the heroin found at the crime scene, he admitted that the investigators have not conducted an examination of the matter, but police officers are ready to take legal action in any cases related to Santika Pub.

Police General Jongruk also said he has assigned the Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau to go through the list of the pub's shareholding structure, as a high-ranking officer of the Crime Suppression Division is said to be one of its stockholders.

- TOC / 2009-02-03

[Scott]

I am afraid they are going to have to start building new jails--special ones for the upper echeleons of Thai society. Surely there are getting to be too many to let go and they can't possibly house them with the countries 'riff-raff.'

[UncleFrank]

Forged signatures?Of course they will say that.

They took bribes.

[TAWP]

Is the video uploaded anywhere yet? Missed it on the morning news...

[BigSnake]

In a word "SCAPEGOAT" Why for once, just once don't go after the real bad guys, the ones who took bribes and didn't do their jobs, if they had the darn place would have been close

[FatherF]

In a word "SCAPEGOAT" Why for once, just once don't go after the real bad guys, the ones who took bribes and didn't do their jobs, if they had the darn place would have been close

Could it be because the ones who were investigating were the same ones who were receiving some of the bribes?

FF

[katana]

Youtube seems to have some CCTV footage from inside the club here. The fire takes hold really quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7svHfi7Fnzw&fmt=18

[HorseDoctor]

That video really supports the testimony from a TV poster that claimed a few days after the fire that he saw the fire start outside, on the roof from fireworks fired from an adjacent building.

( That thread was discontinued. )

The ceiling was disintegrating for a short time, from the top down, then it collapses all at once.

Edited February 5, 2009 by HorseDoctor

[yumidesign]

......

Thai Police ...

hmm....better to watch what u say

I agree be very very careful what you say, if you have any doubts read the excellent article in todays BKK Post on the case against the burn performer

[yumidesign]

How police shame our country

By: Sanitsuda Ekachai

Published: 5/02/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

It is a big slap in the face. And if the police insist they are not mad at the Justice Ministry for going public with the videotape evidence in the Santika Club inferno which contradicts the police's findings, they are simply lying.

Last week, the police bigwigs held a big press conference to announce that they had arrested and charged Saravuth Ariya, the lead singer of the rock band Burn, for causing the New Year fire which killed 66 people and injured hundreds of party-goers.

Two days later, Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga showed video footage which suggested the police had arrested a scapegoat. The police charge is based on the accounts of two eyewitnesses who said they saw the singer ignite fireworks with his lighter, which caused the inferno. But the video footage of Burn's stage performance did not show that. Faced with the new evidence, the police countered that the short footage might not have captured the entire event that led to the fire.

What is going on here? Is this part of an organisational rivalry between the two state agencies? In self-defence, police said they were unable to include the video footage in their case because the maverick forensic doctor, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, had refused to hand it over. She promptly said she had been so ordered by the justice minister.

It is no secret that the police view the director of the Forensic Science Institute as their arch enemy, given her fearless and constant criticism of police abuse.

It is no secret, either, that the police and Justice Ministry do not see eye to eye. During the last national administrative reform, the police were supposed to come under the supervision of the Justice Ministry.

However, wanting to maintain their old power which keeps them competitive with the army - and maintain the endless flow of tea money - the police succeeded in resisting the move, choosing instead to report directly to the prime minister.

Many policemen may think they are being punished by the Democrat-led government for serving as the personal army of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Others may think it is an effort by the Justice Ministry to steal the scene.

The fact remains that the public stands behind the Justice Ministry in the Santika case, given the police's dismal record of distorted investigations in favour of certain parties. The video footage simply confirmed the public's doubt that the arrest of singer Saravuth may just be an effort by the police to close the case to protect the big fish.

They are asking why the police did not find traces of heroin and cocaine in the club's office area, as had the team of the Justice Ministry; why had they not known long before that the club violated construction laws; and why did the constant police raids suddenly stop after a high-ranking cop became one of the club's shareholders?

The Justice Ministry's team also found that the club had not paid taxes, that the engineer's signature had been forged for the club's construction with apparent help from some BMA officials, that the person registered as the club's manager was actually a worker in the club's parking lot, and that the club might have been involved in a money-laundering racket.

What is making the police shut their eyes?

The Santika fire disaster epitomises the problem of deep corruption that is killing this country. Undeniably, in the eyes of the public the main culprits are the police because they can feign blindness to law-breaking until the festering problem explodes. And because they can tamper with the evidence at will before the cases reach the courts.

The Santika case aside, the police's dinosaurean focus on eyewitness accounts often opens itself to human error while the main use of confessions as the main evidence opens itself to routine abuse and torture. Why do the police resist forensic science? Simple answer: it makes the effort to distort the cases and extort money from people involved much more difficult.

The rule of law is mandatory for democracy. That will remain our pipe dream so long as the first step towards legal justice is largely in corrupt hands.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post.

Email: [email protected]

[TAWP]

Good editorial!

[jmdelan5]

This article in the Telegraph is far more enlightning.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-65-people.html

Tha last couple of paragraphs would be bloody hilarious if not so tragic.

what happened to the report of fireworks on the roof that an eye witness saw just before the fire erupted? that sounded more believable to me as the cause. the roof burned and caused it to crash inwards. any more on this???? jd

[mrtoad]

Good editorial!

Agreed, and so sadly true. At least there does seem that there is will in the Justice department to see that this case if investigated properly.

[Samuian]

Good editorial!

Agreed, and so sadly true. At least there does seem that there is will in the Justice department to see that this case if investigated properly.

It looks like things are in for a change... maybe too much to tackle it all at a time, but one, by one.... will do!

I mean Sanitsuda Ekachai is the voice of many, many middle class people fed up with the endless "feed for free" tactics of certain groups within the establishment and the long term damage, the instability and eradication of important core valuesin society they cause!

Edited February 6, 2009 by Samuian

[Mobi]

From yesterday's Bangkok Post:

United voice sought on pub fire cause

By: KING-OUA LAOHONG

Published: 13/06/2009 at 12:00 AM

High-level officials have been summoned by the Justice Ministry to thrash out disagreements over the cause of the Santika pub inferno.

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga has ordered Tharit Pengdit, the secretary-general of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) to hold talks with state authorities and settle their differences over the cause of the New Year's Eve fire at Santika pub which killed 66 revellers.

Mr Tharit said he will talk to police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwon, Metropolitan Police chief Thanee Somboonsap and Attorney-General Chaikasem Nitisiri.

Police believe the lead singer of the Burn band performing at the pub started the fire.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), however, said video recordings showed the singer was not on the stage when the fire broke out.

Mr Tharit said the minister also assigned him to follow up on other issues including alleged tax evasion by the pub, and the fact that the signatures of the engineer supervising the pub's construction were forged.

Mr Pirapan has asked the DSI to speed up the tax evasion investigation, he added.

PACC will also audit Santika's accounts to find out if the pub was involved in any money laundering.

The pub's revenue and expenses records, especially those related to financial support for the pub from one liquor firm worth 23 million baht, appeared to contain irregularities, said Mr Tharit.

The liquor firm denied giving the pub any assistance, saying it only offered the pub various forms of promotional discounts.

In April, the Finance Ministry concluded that Santika pub was subject to a 10% excise tax normally imposed on nightclubs. The operator would be fined and have to pay interest on the tax not collected during its five years of operations before the pub was destroyed by the fire.

[mrdome]

The new video has been taken down already from YT. Is there another place where it can be watched?

[Mobi]

It is now August 10th - over 7 months since this terrible tragedy killed 66 people.

At this moment in time there is not a single suspect behind bars, and the police are no nearer to even explaining the cause of the fire, let alone arresting those responsible.

If anyone doubts that there are dark forces to play in these matters, and that the police are organised criminals, had better think again.

From yesterdays' B. Post:

The fight for justice in the Santika pub tragedy

The struggle to find the truth for relatives of the victims of the Santika pub fire is a long way off

Writer: By Piyaporn Wongruang and Supoj Wancharoen

Published: Bangkok Post, 9/08/2009 at 12:00 AM

Eight months after the Santika nightclub inferno killed 66 people, not one person is in custody and a rock singer accused of causing the tragedy by setting off fireworks is calling for his own justice.

Five Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials, who an inquiry commission recommended in April should face disciplinary measures for recklessly violating building controls, have not been punished as a "fact-finding" panel into their cases has not been established.

Two of the major shareholders in the club which was razed on New Year's Eve have been charged; one is free on bail and the other, later revealed to be a carpark attendant, is on the run.

In the horror and disbelief that followed the blaze, politicians, policemen and city officials wrung their hands in front of the TV cameras and swore that justice would be done and there would be no repeat of the senseless deaths.

The rest of the story can be found HERE

Edited August 10, 2009 by Mobi

[mrtoad]

Shameful.