Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Gaybutton »

Famous Thai lawyer prepares to complain with DSI to treat Mountain B fire as special case, investigate rumored silent investors and owners

By Tanakorn Panyadee

9 August, 2022

A famous lawyer claimed he is preparing to complain to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to treat the Mountain B fire as a special case, concerned that Sia B who said he owned the pub by himself might be a scapegoat.

Mr. Ronnarong Kaewpetch, a well-known Thai lawyer and media influencer, said on August 8th that he was preparing to complain with Mr. Traiyarit Temhiwong, General-director of the DSI, to treat the Mountain B fire as a special case, insisting that the venue must have other undisclosed business partners or investors.

Furthermore, the lawyer raised three intriguing points:

1. The venue owner, or “Sai B,” who was recently released on bail yesterday, may have bribed the police officers in the area to turn a blind eye to him because he allegedly operated without a proper license, allowed minors access, and violated the legal closing hours.

2. The lawyer said any venue that disregarded multiple laws at the same time usually had a secret partnership with high-ranking soldiers, politicians, or police officers; thus, he did not believe that Sia B, who was only 27 years old, would be influential enough to run the whole venue on his own.

3. Ronnarong lastly questioned why the officers in charge of this case seemed hurried to wrap up the investigation despite the fact that this tragedy involved many casualties.

The lawyer demanded that the DSI must investigate this matter thoroughly because he believed that there must be other parties involved.

Ronnarong is not the only prominent individual calling for a deeper investigation, as is well-known activist Srisuwan Chanya.

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/09/f ... nd-owners/
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Dodger »

It appears to be common knowledge at this point that others (at a high level) had to be involved in the owner of Mountain B's ability to remain open and operate under the conditions his club was in. It's not a matter of finding these individuals - it's a matter of putting one's life in jeopardy for saying that you found them.

As reported in the press, 90% of the patrons in Mountain B during the night of the fire were associated with the Thai Military. And the Royal Thai Navy controls everything that moves in Sattahip. I'll leave it at that.

If there's any good to come out of this it will be the additional scrutiny on public places to meet at least basic safety standards, as well as making people more aware of their surroundings when they enter these types of venues.
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

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Dodger wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 8:47 am If there's any good to come out of this it will be the additional scrutiny on public places to meet at least basic safety standards, as well as making people more aware of their surroundings when they enter these types of venues.
The first two problems I see about that are:
1. How quickly these kinds of incidents are not really forgotten, but how they always seem to end up on the back burner, at the bottom of the list - until the next incident.
2. The "these things always happen to somebody else" syndrome. People often tend to disregard the fact that to every person in the entire world, you are somebody else.
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

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They may be absolutely sincere and this is not merely their attempt to reduce the penalties they face as much as possible. I certainly have no evidence that it isn't anything but that.

However I, for one, don't buy it. Do you?
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Mountain B nightclub owner gives detailed interview about fatal club fire, his remorse, experience, and more

By Tanakorn Panyadee

10 August, 2022

The Mountain B nightclub owner and his wife held their first public press conference/interview yesterday, August 10th, saying they almost attempted to commit suicide after the incident, expressed remorse for the victims, but asserted that the fire exits were unlocked.

Five days have passed since the horrid Mountain B nightclub fire that killed 16 people and injured several more on August 5th, and finally, the pub owner Pongsiri Panprasong, 27, or “Sia B” who was released on 300,000-baht bail was ready to talk.

“I apologize to every victim’s family. I will try to visit all of them to deal with the funeral arrangements and compensation,” Sia B said briefly before letting his wife Anongnart Panprasong, 31, speak.

“I was checking our stock outside the pub when I heard a blast around 1 AM. I saw customers rushing out of the front gate; some were covered in flame, so I used a wet towel to help them before I called a firefighter,” Anongnart stated. Three of her employees reportedly died in the pub, but she said she was unaware because she was engrossed in an interrogation at the Plutaluang Police Station.

When asked about their source of funding, Anongnart replied, “We accumulated money from selling goods, pork meat, and noodles. We also run a restaurant in front of our pub and manage everything on our own without any consultant or silent investors. We are the sole owners.”

Regarding the fire exit, which many rumored that it was locked, the wife claimed, “The guard usually took care of it. I don’t know if it was locked. But the side doors were always open.”

Sia B then interrupted his wife and asserted, “All doors always stayed open due to our policy. We also had clear signs pointing to the exit.”

Anongnart continued in a trembling tone that this tragedy almost drove her to mutually commit suicide with her husband, as she admitted the problem was almost too much for them to bear.

The reporters then asked her about the license to operate a pub, to which Anongnart confessed that the license she had technically allowed her to open a restaurant, not a nightclub; however, she affirmed that she abided by the legal closing hours by closing her venue at 1 AM every day and always prioritized security measures.

Even so, Anongnart said she had no idea how two minors, 17 and 18 years old, who were later found dead inside the pub, could evade her security guards. The legal age for entry to clubs in Thailand is twenty-years-old.

Sia B ended the conference, promising that once all matters had been sorted, he would ordain as a monk to dedicate his merit to all the victims.

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/10/m ... -and-more/
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Jun »

The Pattaya News wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:13 pmSia B ended the conference, promising that once all matters had been sorted, he would ordain as a monk to dedicate his merit to all the victims.
Having a system where all sorts of well intentioned safety and environmental laws can be disregarded by people who pay tea money or have the right connections is likely to lead to avoidable deaths.

Talk of becoming a monk just diverts focus away from that issue.
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

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The Pattaya News wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:13 pm Anongnart said she had no idea how two minors, 17 and 18 years old, who were later found dead inside the pub, could evade her security guards.
No idea? Really? Want three guesses?

Mrs. Anongart, aren't you going to tell us all about how this must have been the first and only time minors somehow managed to get into your establishment?
Jun

Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Jun »

Having a 17 and 18 year old inside the premises ought to be the least of their concerns. The occasional under age drinker doesn't do much harm. On the other hand, all those people getting burnt is very unsatisfactory.

I think I ordered my first pint at 14 and most remarkably, got served.
I'm not the only one. Prince Charles also walked into a pub at the age of 14 and got served. However, unsurprisingly, he got caught.

Top of the list of concerns ought to be:
1 Fire starts
2 Fire spreads quickly
3 Thirteen people die, plus 41 injuries. I bet a good number of the 41 injuries are severe too.
4 How much corruption is behind all these failings ?
5 Will anything be done to prevent a recurrence ? (No, not with the current regime)
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Gaybutton »

The death toll from the Mountain B nightclub fire has risen to 16, officials said on Wednesday, with dozens more still in hospital.

A 23-year-old man was the latest fatality, the province's public relations office confirmed in a Facebook post.

His death overnight took the overall toll to 16, they said, adding that a further 16 people remained in hospital on respirators.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ises-to-16
________________________________________________________________________________

Another Mountain B nightclub fire victim dies, raising death toll to 16 while 16 people remain intubated

By Tanakorn Panyadee

10 August, 2022

Another Mountain B fire victim died at Chonburi Hospital, raising the death toll to 16 people, while 16 of the 30 hospitalized victims are hanging onto a respiratory machine.

The Chonburi Provincial Public Relations Office has announced today, August 10th, the death of Mr. Sittichai Ouilert, 23, at Chonburi Hospital, bringing the Mountain B fire death toll to 16 people.

Mr. Sittichai passed away around 4:21 PM yesterday, August 9th, due to his severe injuries. 16 of the 30 hospitalized victims remain intubated while 9 patients have fortunately been discharged so far and are making a good recovery.

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/10/a ... intubated/
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

Post by Dodger »

Jun wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:24 pm
Top of the list of concerns ought to be:
1 Fire starts
2 Fire spreads quickly
3 Thirteen people die, plus 41 injuries. I bet a good number of the 41 injuries are severe too.
4 How much corruption is behind all these failings ?
5 Will anything be done to prevent a recurrence ? (No, not with the current regime)
Absolutely.
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Re: Major fire in Sattahip pub kills 13, injures 41

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Jun wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:24 pm 5 Will anything be done to prevent a recurrence ? (No, not with the current regime)
Even if they actually do something significant, based on past history how long will enforcement last - the usual two or three weeks?
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