Same worries resonate after cinema fire
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As always happens with such events, the recent Bangkok cinema fire has conjured up more questions than answers.
Who, for example, is the official regulator of such buildings and why were the laws not enforced? Thaiwut Khankaew of the Public Works Department says a lawsuit against the cinema owners is being considered, but who will prosecute City Hall for dereliction of duty? Why are the punishments for such misconduct so minor? Can we be sure that local authorities are correctly implementing the amended 2007 building control measures?
Although operating under the guise of being safe, are all public service buildings (including hotels) as unregulated as this one? How safe are we, how do we find out and do we even have a right to know (before getting killed)?
In Thailand, profit overrides safety. In fact there is no safety, because the criminal fat cats openly ridicule the law. It doesn’t matter which law – traffic, fire, insurance or construction laws – they simply couldn’t care less, and the police and other authorities are generally available to offer an illicit helping hand.
The people who bear the brunt of this are you and I, while the wealthy executives and those receiving the brown envelopes simper all the way to the bank.
What does the future actually hold? More fires and accidents, dirty brown envelopes, finger-crossing, knee-jerk reactions and passing the buck? The answer to all is a simple “Yes!”
John Shepherd
