Big Joke" flew quickly to summarize the case of a fireworks warehouse explosion in Muno, Narathiwat Province. The 3 suspects are a husband and wife who own the warehouse. and contractors prosecuted 7 importing companies and 16 government officials for violating Section 157.

Pol. Gen. Surachet Hakphan or "Big Joke", Deputy Police Commander, came to Su-ngai Kolok Police Station, Narathiwat Province, to conclude the investigation and expand the results of the prosecution of the officers involved. This is separated into violations of Section 157 and the case of accepting tribute from two husband and wife, Mr. Sompong and Ms. Piyanuch, owners of the fireworks warehouse at Ban Muno, Su-ngai Kolok District, where the explosion occurred on February 29. 2023, causing 11 deaths, 389 injuries, and 649 homes damaged. In summarizing the case this time, relevant officials were invited to attend a meeting to explain to representatives of the deceased who had traveled. Come join and listen to the explanation.

“Big Joke” summed up the case saying: After the incident, the police arrested 3 suspects, consisting of 1. Ms. Piyanuch, the owner of the warehouse, 2. Mr. Sompong, the warehouse administrator, 3. Mr. Pathomporn, the contractor, for the crime of negligence causing the death of another person. dead Seriously harmed and have been harmed physically or mentally, together making, ordering, importing or trading fireworks without permission, together violating the orders of officials according to Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations and jointly construct, modify, or move buildings without permission. In which the investigative officer has interviewed 822 related witnesses, there are 6,529 documents in the file. In summary, the investigation file has been sent to the Narathiwat Provincial Prosecutor on September 18, 2023.

In addition, the investigation found that the explosion incident This is partly due to the neglect of government officials who are responsible for inspecting the import, sale, and storage of fireworks. Some people demand benefits in exchange for not following legal procedures. Therefore, evidence was gathered to prosecute a total of 16 government officials, including 4 police officers, 4 Subdistrict Administrative Organization officials, 7 customs officers, and 1 military officer. They were prosecuted for the crime of Being an official performs or neglects to perform his duties illegally in order to cause damage. or neglecting to perform duties dishonestly All 16 government officials have been surrendered and charged. 8 cases have been submitted to the NACC. Evidence is being collected for another 8 cases.

As for the case of illegal fireworks sales Further investigators learned that there were fireworks in the warehouse where the incident occurred. which the accused ordered They came from many traders in the areas of Songkhla Province, Bangkok and the surrounding area. Therefore, a search operation was launched to target 17 points, which were traders and importers of fireworks from abroad. Therefore, they seized as many as 959 crates of fireworks, which were smuggled into the country illegally. From a network of 7 companies, there was the illegal trade and sale of fireworks to Mr. Sompong in violation of the law. The legal action against all 7 companies is currently under investigation. He has already informed some of the charges and confessed. It is expected to be completed next week.

In addition, we have coordinated with the agencies involved in providing relief to those affected by the incident. Initially, each agency is in the process of considering criteria. To speed up the delivery of financial aid to the victims to provide relief and restore their homes from such losses quickly. - Thai News Agency

Source: Thai News Agency