News Forum - Police tracking down British nationals after March fire in eastern Thailand

[Thaiger]

After a fire gutted a resort villa in Thailand’s eastern province of Trat in March, 3 executives are being charged. The charges include causing a fire by negligence, causing damages to people’s property, endangering other persons, and allowing others to use the building for hotel business without obtaining a license from the local officials. The massive fire broke out at the Soneva Kiri Resort & Residences on Koh Kut island. After months of gathering evidence, Royal Thai Police announced the charges yesterday. One executive, 37 year old Patchaya Aawawanon, has presented herself to acknowledge the allegations. But police are still […]

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[Fanta]

39 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

The charges include causing a fire by negligence,

Really? How do the cops prove the fire was caused by negligence as opposed to arson? Answer: they don’t need to. Guilty until proven innocent. The real question is who pushed for the criminal charges? The insurance company that doesn’t want to pay out perhaps… 

[Totoro]

Interesting:-)) They tracked down British Nationals. What is that guy called they cannot find? Help me, Joe F...?

 

[Vigo]

6 hours ago, Fanta said:

Really? How do the cops prove the fire was caused by negligence as opposed to arson? Answer: they don’t need to. Guilty until proven innocent. The real question is who pushed for the criminal charges? The insurance company that doesn’t want to pay out perhaps… 

Negligence  refers to the executives' failure to take proper care. If you read the statement;

 

Investigation revealed that the resort’s Villa 63, where the fire started, had never been inspected for fire safety and that the company had been renting it out to guests without notifying the registrar as required by the Hotel Act of 2004.” (Unlicensed).... the company also failed to make sure that its fire alarm system was functional

If the  allegations are accurate, then the executives were indeed  negligent and had someone died, they would be facing "manslaughter" type charges.  The proof is going to be easily determined. If there is no operating license, and no record of  fire safety inspection, that is all verifiable. The major hotel chains have fire safety inspection schedules and will have a record of when the service contractor visited. The contractor  is the one who services the fire extinguishers, fire and smoke alarms and sprinkler system (if there is one).  You are protesting that the local authorities did their job. 

At this time the evidence indicates that the fire started in one guest dwelling and then spread  in part because of the absence of a fire containment response in part, because the alarms  did not work. If there was an arson event, it doesn't matter, because the charges here  are separate and distinct from arson. Either the accused failed to operate the resort in a safe and responsible manner or they were model hotel managers and kept everyone safe.  They can answer the charges by showing their life and safety systems service record, their life and safety procedures,  and their operating license.