The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will next week file a petition with the Administrative Court seeking the release of 139 fire engines and tanker trucks from a private warehouse in Chon Buri.
Deputy Bangkok governor Assawin Kwanmuang said the BMA will ask the court to issue an injunction to enable the BMA to inspect and repair the vehicles while its legal dispute involving the rental fees with the firm hired to store the vehicles is being negotiated.
Of the 139 vehicles, 67 are regular fire engines and the other 72 are tanker trucks which can hold 10,000 litres of water.
Stored at the warehouse owned by Namyong Terminal Plc in Laem Chabang deep-sea port in Chon Buri, they are the second lot shipped to Thailand in 2007. City Hall is embroiled in the legal dispute with the warehouse firm in the Civil Court.
After several rounds of negotiations, Namyong Terminal Plc has reduced the rental fees to 427 million baht, from 926 million baht. However, the BMA wants to pay 200 million baht, which was calculated based on the day the 6.6-billion-baht fire engine purchase scandal was settled in the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in December 2014.
The Gevena-based court ordered Steyr to pay €20.49 million (820 million baht) in damages to the BMA, which in return was required to accept all the fire engines, boats and equipment procured from the Austrian firm.
Pol Gen Assawin said City Hall sent a letter to the warehouse firm on Aug 25 this year asking it to release the vehicles but the firm refused and wanted the fee dispute settled first.