Santika shareholder says sorry
Two charges to be laid against pub owner
- Published: 5/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Major shareholder of the Santika pub Wisuk Setsawat yesterday reported to police to testify about the New Year pub fire, as authorities prepared to press two charges against his managing director.
Wisuk: Questioned by police as a witness
Four days after the blaze, Mr Wisuk, accompanied by his lawyer, met deputy police chief Jongrak Chuthanont and investigators at Thong Lor police station.
Pol Gen Jongrak said Mr Wisuk was questioned as a witness, not a suspect.
But police will file charges against Suriya Ritrabue, the managing director of White & Brothers (2003) Co, who is the registered owner of the pub.
The charges are recklessly causing other people's death, and allowing revellers younger than 20 to enter his entertainment venue.
The death toll from the blaze rose again to 64 on Sunday night. The badly burned 25-year-old Japanese man Keiichi Wada died of his injuries despite the efforts of Chulalongkorn Hospital doctors to save him.
Police are still investigating the exact cause of the New Year's fire. They believe it could have been caused by either stage effects, or fireworks lit by a customer.
If the fire was caused by stage effects, musicians or the production team would be held responsible. If it was caused by fireworks, police would take legal action against the customer.
Regardless, owners of the pub could not avoid a charge of allowing underaged revellers to enter the venue, said Pol Gen Jongrak.
After testifying to police, Mr Wisuk, in tears, said he was deeply sorry for the tragedy. He apologised to relatives of those who died or were injured.
His lawyer, Poolsak Pongcharoen, said 31 shareholders of the pub had pooled resources to raise a two-million-baht fund for helping the injured and families of the dead.
So far, they had handed out 20,000 baht in cash assistance to 11 families of dead victims, and 10,000 baht in cash to two injured victims, said Mr Poolsak.
Mr Wisuk was criticised by some victims' relatives for disappearing after the fire.
The father of one dead victim called on police to quickly identify the people responsible.
Saksit Thienthong, a cultural expert from the Culture Ministry and father of Wirachat, who has succumbed to injuries from the fire, said he had just paid 100,000 baht for his daughter's medical bills and signed a letter to recognise his debt, at Bangkok hospital where his daughter was pronounced dead, worth 390,000 baht.
Some victims' relatives have also petitioned the Lawyers Council, asking it to help them take legal action against the pub operators.
At the Santika pub, scientific crime detection officers and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration staff pumped water out of the basement to search for more bodies of fire victims and valuables.
Chatree Charoenchiwakul, chief of the Public Health Ministry's Narenthorn emergency centre, said the death toll from the Santika fire rose to 63 yesterday.
The latest dead victim was identified as Songpol Potha.
The Singapore Foreign Ministry confirmed that three Singaporeans died in the fire, according to AFP. Thai authorities identified the bodies of Lu Weiye and Leslie Yeo, the ministry said.
The men were unaccounted for after the blaze. A third Singaporean, Teo Sze Siong, also died and two others were hurt. Dr Chatree said 73 people injured in the fire were still in hospital. Eighteen of them are foreigners.
Among those in hospitals, 32 survive with the help of respiratory systems, according to Dr Chatree. The ministry had also set up teams of psychiatrists to look after relatives who wanted help with grief or distress.
About the author
- Writer: POST REPORTERS
