Dried longan factory blasts in 1999 ended with higher penalties for factory owners and manager

[rooster59]

Dried longan factory blasts in 1999 ended with higher penalties for factory owners and manager

CHIANG MAI: The 17-year-old court case that involved a powerful explosion at a dry longan factory in Chiang Mai in September 1999, leaving 36 people dead and over a hundred injured came to final after the Supreme Court handed down higher prison terms for the factory owner, his Taiwanese co-owner and the Thai manager on three counts of charges.

Three of the factory executives were prosecuted in the case but yesterday only the manager of the Hong Thai Kaset Pattana dry longan factory in San Patong district, Mr Pathan Trichat, was present to hear the final judgement.

The factory chairman Mr Cherdpan Chantarojsiri and the factory Taiwanese owner Mr Lee Honghern did not appear at the court.

In the final hearing, the Supreme Court found all three guilty of three counts, having no safety precaution at factory, transport of dangerous chemicals without official permit, and negligence that resulted in massive deaths and injuries, and the devastation of almost 500 homes.

The court then sentenced Pathan to serve six years, 10 months and 20 days, while handing down 10 years for the chairman and the Taiwanese owner.

As both did not arrive to hear their final verdicts, the court then issued warrants for their arrest.

The final ruling was welcomed by relatives of those who were killed and those whose houses were devastated.

They said they would pursue civil suit against the factory and it’s executives to demand compensation amounted to over 200 million baht.

Earlier the first court only sentenced the three to one year imprisonment on two charges, transport of dangerous chemicals (potassium chlorate) without official permit, and unauthorized extension of factory building.

But the prison sentence was suspended for two years, and a 90,000 baht fine.

However severer charge of negligence in duty that resulted in death and injuries were dropped.

But the case was appealed with the Appeals Court ruling on October 1, 2008 to sentence the two Thai executives to one years and six months in jail, while the runaway co-owner gets 10 years in jail.

After the final ruling yesterday the factory manager was immediately remanded to the prison to serve the sentence.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/165135

-- 2016-05-28

[slapout]

Low man on the ladder is the one who ends up in jail. Guess he did not get paid enough to flee the country. 17 years to finally get 1 out of 3 in jail. Wonder who has been paying defense lawyers all these years and from where?

And those relatives of the dead are planning a civil suit to get 200 million baht. At my advanced age I would put book I will not be around for a final court decision much less the payout to those going after the money. Any takers still living can pay my survivors. This method on the wager should lessen the potential of creating a burden on the court as well as anyone needing to run and hide.

Edited May 28, 2016 by slapout

[Oscar2]

Low man on the ladder is the one who ends up in jail. Guess he did not get paid enough to flee the country. 17 years to finally get 1 out of 3 in jail. Wonder who has been paying defense lawyers all these years and from where?

And those relatives of the dead are planning a civil suit to get 200 million baht. At my advanced age I would put book I will not be around for a final court decision much less the payout to those going after the money. Any takers still living can pay my survivors. This method on the wager should lessen the potential of creating a burden on the court as well as anyone needing to run and hide.

you misread the judgement of the court. other two got 10 years. arrest warrant issued.

[clockman]

Justice is a distant bell rarely heard, in Thailand. Disgusting. But what can you expect?

[retarius]

Low man on the ladder is the one who ends up in jail. Guess he did not get paid enough to flee the country. 17 years to finally get 1 out of 3 in jail. Wonder who has been paying defense lawyers all these years and from where?

And those relatives of the dead are planning a civil suit to get 200 million baht. At my advanced age I would put book I will not be around for a final court decision much less the payout to those going after the money. Any takers still living can pay my survivors. This method on the wager should lessen the potential of creating a burden on the court as well as anyone needing to run and hide.

you misread the judgement of the court. other two got 10 years. arrest warrant issued.

I think he understands the sentences for the other two but believes that they have skipped the country to avoid being jailed. We see with the Red Bull heir and Phra Dhammachayo how effective arrest warrants are.

[Aussie69]

What is a dried longan ?

<edit> dont worry, looked it up

Edited May 28, 2016 by Aussie69

[Beng]

It took 17 years !!!

[BigBadGeordie]

It took 17 years !!!

The wheels of justice in Thailand turn slowly.

Justice delayed is justice denied. William E. Gladstone

And those words are as valid now as the day he spoke them.

[worgeordie]

The Taiwanese did a runner the next day,good luck finding them,just when

you think this and a whole lot of other cases have been forgotten about,

a judgement is made,amazing.

regards worgeordie