After failing to report to police yesterday (Tuesday), Narathiwat province police will pursue an arrest warrant for the owner of the fireworks warehouse, which was damaged by an explosion and fire last week. According to an intelligence assessment, the owner and his wife fled to Malaysia on Saturday, the day of the incident.
According to an informed police source, a second summons was issued yesterday afternoon after the owner, whose name was not released by the police, failed to report to police in Muno sub-district at 10 a.m. as required.
According to the source, if the warehouse owner fails to appear again, the police would issue an arrest order for him.
When the warehouse in Muno sub-district, Su-ngai Kolok district, exploded last Saturday, the owner and his wife were traveling. The explosion and following fire killed 12 individuals and injured nearly 100 more. More than 300 surrounding homes were damaged.
According to intelligence sources, the couple has dual nationality and is suspected to have escaped to Malaysia via the border post in Songkhla’s Sadao area.
The warehouse was raided in 2016 and numerous tonnes of pyrotechnics and explosives were seized, according to a Facebook post by a netizen in Su-ngai Kolok. However, the public prosecutor decided to drop the accusations against the owner.
The netizen highlighted that it is impossible for authorities to have been completely uninformed of the presence of the fireworks warehouse, as bribes must have been paid by the owner.
Move Forward MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn further stated on Facebook that he doubts security forces in the district, including the police and military, were oblivious of the warehouse’s presence and the deadly commodities it held.
Meanwhile, four schools in the area that were damaged by the explosion have been closed for two weeks until repairs are carried out. Thirteen teachers and 91 students were hurt, with one student fatally injured.
Photo credit to PBS world
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SOURCE: http://thaipbsworld.com
