Tiger Pub declared unsafe; new rules to be enforced on island
The controversial Tiger Pub and Discotheque in southern resort island of Phuket will have to be partially demolished following the fire on August 17, which killed four people and injured many others.
A team comprising the Phuket governor, an architect, a building inspector, a civil engineer and a provincial electricity official inspected the scene on Monday and found that most of the steel bars on the second floor had been badly damaged by the heat. The pub is 15 years old.
Phuket Governor Tri Akkaradecha, said entertainment venues were inspected nightly to ensure safety and check that operators abided by the law on operating hours, drugs and arms possession.
As Phuket is a world famous tourist attraction, authorities have been instructed to strictly enforce the law on construction and renovation of buildings, the governor said.
Police said an initial inspection found that the building was fitted with required emergency exits, extinguishers and exit signs.
The pub was built before the law on fire-resistant construction materials was enforced, police said. About 20 per cent of the construction materials in the building were not resistant to fire.
