World War II bomb explosion: Bangkok scrap shop owner to face charges

[webfact]

Scrap shop owner to face charges



BANGKOK: -- Bang Khen police are prepared to charge the owner of the scrap shop where a World War II bomb exploded while worker tried to cut it with a torch.

Police said the owner will be charged with negligence resulting in the death of innocent persons.

According to the police, the shop’s permit and registration papers, and permit for hiring of foreign work force will also be inspected to see if they are in order.

The blast from the 500-pound old bomb killed seven people and injured a dozen, Almost 100 houses in the vicinity were also damaged by the powerful bomb explosion and the fire which was trigged after the explosion.

Military personnel from 1st Royal Guards Battalion were sent to help residents in the clearing and moving of personal belongings as well as to provide basic aid to households.

The explosion happened on Lard Prakao Soi 72 in Bangkok’s Bang Khen area.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit chief said the explosion was caused by a 500-pound World War II bomb. It exploded because worker used heat to cut it.

Witnesses said four construction workers brought what they thought to be a large hammer of a crane they dug out from the ground by a backhoe to sell to the shop owner.

It weighed about 200 kilograms.

At first the owner was suspicious of the hammer as it looked like an old bomb citing its oval shaped structure. But the construction workers insisted it was a hammer claiming it was just broken off from the crane.

Meanwhile the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has erected an aid tent to provide care for more than 100 households who have been affected by the blast.

The Erawan Rescue Service Center of Bangkok reported that the explosion resulted in 20 injuries. Six persons died at the scene while another died in transit to the Mayo General Hospital.

Four of the injured have been taken to the Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital for medical attention while another 7 injured persons are receiving care at the Mayo General Hospital. The remaining eight injured persons were taken to the Noparatnaratchathani Hospital and were later released and among those was an eight year old female child who was also injured in the blast.

As for the more than 100 households that have been affected by the blast, the BMA has erected an aid tent to provide aid.

These household have been directly affected because of their close proximity – about 100 meters; to the blast site.

Some homes have been set alight by the explosion and the BMA has put in place registration facilities for affected homes to apply for reconstruction aid.

The aid packages will provide 30,000 Baht for homes that have been completely destroyed and no more than 25,000 Baht for homes that have been partially damaged. Ten thousand Baht will also be paid out for fatalities.

The BMA will also be looking into ways for implementing measures to regulate scrap shop operation as most of these businesses are not legally registered.

Furthermore many of them do not possess the knowhow in screening and dismantling hazardous materials such flammable gases and substances.

The Bang Khen police will also be setting up a special counter for persons affected by the blast to file for damages.

Meanwhile, the Bang Khen District Office will also be collecting names of all those affected and will be inspecting damaged properties before any aid can be provided.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/scrap-shop-owner-face-charges/


-- Thai PBS 2014-04-03

[NongKhaiKid]

The owner was supposedly suspicious but bought it anyway, after all can't let anything stand in the way of a potential profit.

[rametindallas]

It reminds me of the tragedy of the radiation canister of 2000: A radiation accident occurred in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand in January–February 2000. The accident happened when an insecurely stored unlicensed cobalt-60 radiation source was recovered by scrap metal collectors who, together with a scrapyard worker, subsequently dismantled the container, unknowingly exposing themselves and others nearby to ionizing radiation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samut_Prakan_radiation_accident

[Ricardo]

It's all the fault of the farangs, who originally dropped the bomb on Thailand (or perhaps somewhere else in S.E.Asia), in the first place !

[Om85]

Cutting a bomb with a torch! wow the IQ levels in here seems to be very high

[NongKhaiKid]

It's all the fault of the farangs, who originally dropped the bomb on Thailand (or perhaps somewhere else in S.E.Asia), in the first place !

I see too that among the documentation to be inspected is the permit to employ foreign workers. If there is anyone on the site from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar etc I think the person responsible will have been identified.

[JeremyBowskill]

30 grand for a totaled home, seems about fair! Good lord.

[mrtoad]

Potential Darwin Award winners, will be a proud day if they win the 2014 title. Standby for "Thailand intends to become The Hub for Darwin Award competitors,we will invest in the education system to ensure by 2016 that we are the leaders in ASEAN".

[englishoak]

Guy should be on gross negligence or manslaughter charges if he knew he was buying an UXB, pathetic amount to give for a destroyed home and 10k for fatalities is just id want his head on a plate if one of mine was a victim. Then again 5k would probably sort that anyway here.

[Woodsie888]

30 grand for a totaled home, seems about fair! Good lord.

25 for a partially damaged home too. Seems very equitable to me.

10 for a life.............

Sounds like a well thought out compensation package.............not

[NumbNut]

Bangkok is DA BOMB!!!

[focus27]

I'm surprised the Thai media hasn't yet blamed the falangs who dropped the bomb.

But then again, that would mean reminding the Thai people that they declared war on the UK and USA.

[Now or Never]

As soon as I heard about the bomb I guessed some greedy little Arthur Daley type entrepreneur had a hand in this?

Cutting a WW2 bomb with a blow torch.....fark ????

UNBELIEVEABLE

[NongKhaiKid]

Potential Darwin Award winners, will be a proud day if they win the 2014 title. Standby for "Thailand intends to become The Hub for Darwin Award competitors,we will invest in the education system to ensure by 2016 that we are the leaders in ASEAN".

and an ever on the ball government will announce that the Education Ministry is to add ' Bomb Identification Courses ' to all levels of schooling.

[NumbNut]

Cutting a bomb with a torch! wow the IQ levels in here seems to be very high

It could have been so corroded over time that is was not recognisable as a bomb though. But if that was the case, you wouldn't be able to gas-axe it either, as anyone who's ever oxy cut badly rusted steel would know.

[bangkokheat]

if i understand correctly the education system here is designed deliberately to keep thais IQ levels low, its working

[art vandelay]

 

I'm surprised the Thai media hasn't yet blamed the falangs who dropped the bomb.

But then again, that would mean reminding the Thai people that they declared war on the UK and USA.

 

...and that they made an attempt to grab a sizeable chunk of cambodian territory... ask any thai and they know nothing about this...

[Mackie]

_{Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to defend a shop owner. But those construction workers who brought the bomb simply fooled him....It was just broken off from the crane some 70 years ago.}

<sub>Witnesses said four construction workers brought what they thought to be a large hammer of a crane they dug out from the ground by a backhoe to sell to the shop owner.

It weighed about 200 kilograms.

At first the owner was suspicious of the hammer as it looked like an old bomb citing its oval shaped structure. But the construction workers insisted it was a hammer claiming it was just broken off from the crane.</sub>

[jalansanitwong]

Sounds like the Thai factory owner knew exactly what he was doing.

Thats why he was standing (hiding) out of harms way when the Burmese labourers went to work on it.

Cheap labour is what it is. Plenty more of that lot coming in a few years.

[MaxLee]

Scrap shop owner to face charges

Charges, ONLY charges,.... paid via tea money, case closed, Face saved

[Luk Mhee]

Only in Thailand.

[PattayaPhom]

It's all the fault of the farangs, who originally dropped the bomb on Thailand (or perhaps somewhere else in S.E.Asia), in the first place !

It was probably Japanesse ordenance

[heybuz]

a bomb is a bomb rusty or not

[Bkungbank]

Many years back a scrap metal shop cut open a X-ray machine causing few people get radiation active ray, it's time to clean up not only dangerous but environment hazardous to neighbor.

[frozin1]

"Police said the owner will be charged with negligence resulting in the death of innocent persons."

Clearly a basis for a defamation lawsuit by the scrap yard owner.

F1

[oakweb]

Some images for reference.

Imagine the scene, the cutting torch and that bomb. It just defies logic, I can't believe they could be so stupid.

[atsiii]

It's all the fault of the farangs, who originally dropped the bomb on Thailand (or perhaps somewhere else in S.E.Asia), in the first place !

I was wondering the same thing... I don't recall any WWII bombing in central Thailand. There was a little along the Japanese rail road, but no widespread bombing or action in Thailand during the war. So where would this ordinance come from? WWII seems strange...

[Soutpeel]

Only in Thailand.

Apparantly of....although not cutting into something with oxy..

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/05/02/virginia-man-killed-in-civil-war-cannonball-blast/

[Now or Never]

What's the difference between Hong Kong and Bangkok?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-06/hong-kong-finds-u-s-bomb-dropped-in-world-war-ii-xinhua-says.html

[madmitch]

Thia story has made the international press. The Daily Telegraph concludes its article by stating "The allies conducted bombing raids on the Thai capital in retaliation for the kingdom joining the Japanese war effort in south-east Asia." No doubt this comment did not appear in the Thai press.