On August 2, police issued arrest warrants for the owners of the fireworks warehouse in Narathiwat province whose explosion killed at least 11 people and injured more than 120.
The people on the arrest warrant are Mr. Sompong Nakul, 42, and Ms. Piyanuch Puengvirawat, who are believed to be in Malaysia. Police officers issued an arrest warrant after waiting for the two to appear at the police station on August 1, but neither showed up.
The two owners were previously arrested at the Muno Police Station on July 16, 2016, for selling fireworks without a license and violating officers’ orders under the emergency decree. However, both were not prosecuted because the prosecutor decided not to charge them.
The national police chief also ordered officers in all areas to search for the two and bring them to trial.
This time, the four officers of Muno Police Station were transferred to temporary duty. The police also set up a truth investigation committee headed by Pol. Maj. Gen. Prabpal Mee-Mongkol, deputy commissioner of District 9. They want to speed up the investigation and report the result back to the police chief.
The police were pressured by the public and questioned why they allowed the warehouse to store such dangerous substances for so long.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Pol. Gen. Surachet Hakpal stated during a visit to the Muno Market disaster area that the police would investigate all components; it would not finish with just two fireworks warehouse owners. They will look into whether the two husbands and wives are truly the proprietors or if they are only nominees.
Furthermore, any official who failed to fulfil his or her responsibilities must be investigated. “We have almost 200,000 officers in our organisation. It is a lie to pretend that no bribes were involved. In any case, this organisation still has more good people than bad,” he added.
At the same time, Chaiwat Pattanapisaensak, Doctor of Public Health in Narathiwat Province, warned the public not to visit the fire scene, including nearby places such as Muno Market and the community where the warehouse was located, because saltpeter from the fireworks is still present in these areas, which could lead to an explosion if there is a flare-up, which could be from the cigarette.
