BMA boost security measures in buildings after night club fire

Santika Club after the fire on January 1, 2009. Photo: MCOT

BANGKOK: -- Responding to the fire at the Santika Club which left 64 people dead on New Year's Day, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set up a committee to inspect and improve the safety of buildings in the Thai capital.

Permanent Secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Pongsakti Saemsan said after a meeting with BMA's senior officials that the special committee will inspect security measures of the buildings of cinemas, hotels, department stores, apartments, markets and other structures which can affect lives and property of the public.

The inspection criteria include installation of fire extinguishers, emergency alarms and fire exits.

Mr. Pongsakti said if the committee finds any building to be substandard, it will be closed immediately and strong legal action will be taken against the operators or the owners even if they are influential persons.

The BMA assigned the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to convene a meeting with building owners next week to instruct them on building security measures.

BMA deputy permanent secretary Pongsakti will work with officials of the the capital's district offices to build understanding with the public and to distribute handbooks on safety measures in case of emergency.

-- TNA 2009-01-06

so... this means they're going to close the entire city????

Not even PAD could do that!!!

In the real world... ya... right.... special committee...

I noticed this sentence in particular: "Mr. Pongsakti said if the committee finds.....".

And the price for not being found is......

This post has been edited by zakk9: 2009-01-06 18:18:39

Shutting the gate after the fact huh... I guess they have to put up some kind of show... I'll believe it when the first influential person has action taken against them.

Yeah, right

Facta non verba!

I'd like to report the Nasa Vegas hotel in Klong Tan. Seriously, I had a row with them a while ago over the emergency exit issue. How to report? I mean...with the desired effect?

I will believe that when i see it.

But who will inspect the inspectors?

An unexpected source of income for the MIB.
With the number of buildings involved in Bangkok,
that committee will be in operation for a long time.

First of all: when the premise is of one of the "ruling" class, no police will ever dare too enter.
Second: the Thais have to know to what they have to look. Probably a farang has to instruct them for a couple of years, showing again and again and .. again.. and ... again.
Last: even when anything is found... handfull of THB and eyes are closed

Plenty of Farang obviously didn't know what to look for when they decided to spent their time in Santika

It's a disgrace that it takes a tragedy like this for the people incharge to sit up and actually do something. That night club shouldn't have been operating with no fire exits and so many people. It seems that the place was an accident waiting to happen.

I like the note, ' ...strong legal action will be taken against the operators or owners even if they are influential persons.' Nah...I don't think so. I think they will be allowed to continue to run their deathtraps until the next fatal accident.

"stable door", "horse" and "bolted" all spring to mind

There's a "Third:" to that too -- what about "outside BKK"...???

Start at the beginning:
Why not a list of public buildings and venues which do pass a health check - probably a shorter list!

Bangkok's concrete jungle, fire-exits only if the fire-exists....

Guys - dont be too hard on Thailand.
Shutting the door after the horse has bolted? Ok, yep, sure. But to be honest, most of OUR western health and safety rules are in place under precisely those circumstances.
It unfortunately takes a terrible tragedy for people to learn from their mistakes, identify the problems and try to do something about it.
On the face of it, Thailand is doing something. Yeah, it may be too little too late, but at least it appears to be a step in the right direction.
Frankly, it's better then doing nothing isnt it?

Guys - dont be too hard on Thailand.
Shutting the door after the horse has bolted? Ok, yep, sure. But to be honest, most of OUR western health and safety rules are in place under precisely those circumstances.
It unfortunately takes a terrible tragedy for people to learn from their mistakes, identify the problems and try to do something about it.
On the face of it, Thailand is doing something. Yeah, it may be too little too late, but at least it appears to be a step in the right direction.
Frankly, it's better then doing nothing isnt it?

merely addressing (if they actually are) one of the many negative symptoms ...not the cause ...corruption

I thought they did that already with the fire in Jomtien - Deja Vu

Yet Again,the crackdown will last a week ,and then all will be forgotten,money will change hands, and we will have S.N.A.F.U.Seen it so many times before. Just wait till Patpong goes up.Sua Pa ,any one?Saw it too many times in Klong Toey. Nothing will ever change.Too much corruption

"Yeah, it may be too little too late, but at least it appears to be a step in the right direction.
Frankly, it's better then doing nothing isnt it? "

No it isn't! Because this is just talk. For a start how can a committee inspect buildings? The rules and inspection systems are already in place, but never enforced.

After this trajedy a few farang owned bars/gogo's/guesthouses may get fleeced for a few thousand baht but then that will be the end of it. Till the next trajedy.

Chris

Yes, we had in Volendam - Netherlands, a similar case in .. 2000/01: 14 dead, 180 injured, far over 600 guests, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volendam.
Now, ALL bars, restaurants etc are NOT allowed to have anything burnable inside. Very tight fire prevention. And be sure, government checks it ! 100%. No way to escape.

ya and so will I but I wont be holding my breath --- welcome to Amazing (reactive) Thailand -- hey someone better shut the gate as all the horses have bolted -- toooo late sunshine -- and dont tell me - yet another committee to oversee the other committee - and just how do they plan to control the so call influencial people who would even be members of the so called committee - give me a break - like everything here - wait for disasters to happen and then try to plug the hole with some sort of makeshift measures that never get acted upon -so sad that so many innocent people died because the bureaucrates here are too busy working out ways to make more money -- someone sent me some horrific pics taken of the victims still inside the pub - far too horrible to post here - wonder if the owners or the future committee members have seen these - or did they go to see the results of the fire after the area had been sanitized --

The consensus of opinion thus far seems to be that nothing will be done.