The owner of the Santika pub - which erupted into a deadly inferno in the first few seconds of this year - has told a court he could offer just 30,000 baht in compensation to relatives of the dead and to surviving victims.
The blaze killed 66 people and injured hundreds. The offer was part of a second round of court settlement talks between pub owner and operator Suriya Ritrabue and the victims at Phra Khanong Provincial Court yesterday.
A lawyer representing Mr Suriya told complainants the pub owner had no more money to pay compensation.
Families affected by the Santika fire have filed seven civil suits against Mr Suriya demanding compensation totalling 105.7 million baht.
But the initial court settlement process was required before civil suits could begin.
The lawyer said the pub owner could not afford to pay more than his offer but a victim who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the management and business partners of the pub should share responsibility to compensate fire victims.
Chairat Saeng-arun, who is an adviser to the Foundation for Consumers that has supported the Santika fire victims'fight for compensation, said the pub owner would be given one last chance to make an acceptable offer in the next court settlement negotiation set for Nov 25.
If the talks fail again, victims and relatives of the dead would launch legal proceedings against the 33 Santika pub management members and business partners who should be held responsible for the consequences of the fire, Mr Chairat said.
More than eight months after the inferno, no victims have received compensation. Forty more complaints have been lodged against the pub operator.
Friday, August 28, 2009
European iPhones "explode"
A French security guard said yesterday his face was struck with shattered glass when the screen of his iPhone exploded, the second such reported incident in France.
Yassine Bouhadi, a 26-year-old supermarket watchman from the southeastern town of Villevieille, said he "was typing a text message ... when the screen exploded". Mr Bouhadi, who says he was hit in the eye with a glass shard,said he was "very angry" and planned to consult a doctor and file a lawsuit seeking damages.
"I want an explanation about this damned telephone," said Mr Bouhadi,who bought the hugely-popular smartphone device for 600 euros (28,900 baht)three months ago. Now he wants his money back.
A French teenager suffered an eye injury in a similar iPhone incident earlier this month, a few weeks after a brouhaha in Britain over an exploding iPod music player owned by an 11-year-old girl.
A US television station also reported last month that an "alarming number"of iPods had burst into flames, although without causing serious injuries, a problem apparently caused by overheated lithium ion batteries.
The US technology giant Apple, which makes the iPhone and iPod, assured the European Union earlier this month that the cases reported so far were "isolated incidents".
Yassine Bouhadi, a 26-year-old supermarket watchman from the southeastern town of Villevieille, said he "was typing a text message ... when the screen exploded". Mr Bouhadi, who says he was hit in the eye with a glass shard,said he was "very angry" and planned to consult a doctor and file a lawsuit seeking damages.
"I want an explanation about this damned telephone," said Mr Bouhadi,who bought the hugely-popular smartphone device for 600 euros (28,900 baht)three months ago. Now he wants his money back.
A French teenager suffered an eye injury in a similar iPhone incident earlier this month, a few weeks after a brouhaha in Britain over an exploding iPod music player owned by an 11-year-old girl.
A US television station also reported last month that an "alarming number"of iPods had burst into flames, although without causing serious injuries, a problem apparently caused by overheated lithium ion batteries.
The US technology giant Apple, which makes the iPhone and iPod, assured the European Union earlier this month that the cases reported so far were "isolated incidents".
PTT says oil leak to continue for 50 days
Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) said it may take at least 50 days to plug an oil and gas spill at its Montara project in the Timor Sea by using another rig to intercept the leak and plug it with mud.
"There is more than one way of potentially controlling the well, however at this stage this is probably our preferred course of action because it is lowest risk and highest probability of success,"PTTEP Australasia Director Jose Martins said in Perth yesterday.
Mobilising the West Triton rig from Singapore to the site will take 20 days,preparation for the drill a further two days, drilling to secure a point above the target another 20 days and intercepting the vector to target and kill the well eight days, he added.
The leak,250km northwest of Australia's Kimberley coast, caused a slick of light oil about 15km long, according to government authorities. Oil, gas and condensate have been seeping from the West Atlas rig, operated by Seadrill, since about 5.30am local time on Aug 21.
A sub-surface leak in a well-bore caused the spill, which is still flowing,Mr Martins said. PTT will pay for the cost of dispersing the slick, he added.
PTT, Thailand's only publicly traded exploration company, acquired the Montara project in February as part of its US$170 million purchase of closely held Coogee Resources. It was expected to start producing about 35,600 barrels of oil a day in the fourth quarter.
International drilling experts arrived in Perth yesterday to help PTT engineers develop a plan to halt the leak.
High volumes of gas around the West Atlas rig and the leaking well, known as H1, are the biggest challenge for engineers, according to Mr Martins.
Aircraft spraying dispersant won't go within 2km of the rig, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said today.
"What we hope to do is intercept the existing well-bore and at that time pump heavy mud, which is designed to then flow up the H1 well and effectively block it off," Mr Martins said. The procedure has successfully been used previously,he said, without providing an example.
A Singapore-based company has been hired to spray 91,000 litres of seawater a minute on to the West Atlas to disperse the gas and minimise the risk of ignition.
The leak started about 3,500m below the seabed, Mr Martins said. He declined to comment on the chances of the rig catching fire, what caused the leak in the well-bore, how big the size of the hole is, how much oil or gas may be leaking and how much fixing the spill will eventually cost. Australia's Kimberley coast is described by Tourism Australia as one of the world's last true wilderness areas.
"There is more than one way of potentially controlling the well, however at this stage this is probably our preferred course of action because it is lowest risk and highest probability of success,"PTTEP Australasia Director Jose Martins said in Perth yesterday.
Mobilising the West Triton rig from Singapore to the site will take 20 days,preparation for the drill a further two days, drilling to secure a point above the target another 20 days and intercepting the vector to target and kill the well eight days, he added.
The leak,250km northwest of Australia's Kimberley coast, caused a slick of light oil about 15km long, according to government authorities. Oil, gas and condensate have been seeping from the West Atlas rig, operated by Seadrill, since about 5.30am local time on Aug 21.
A sub-surface leak in a well-bore caused the spill, which is still flowing,Mr Martins said. PTT will pay for the cost of dispersing the slick, he added.
PTT, Thailand's only publicly traded exploration company, acquired the Montara project in February as part of its US$170 million purchase of closely held Coogee Resources. It was expected to start producing about 35,600 barrels of oil a day in the fourth quarter.
International drilling experts arrived in Perth yesterday to help PTT engineers develop a plan to halt the leak.
High volumes of gas around the West Atlas rig and the leaking well, known as H1, are the biggest challenge for engineers, according to Mr Martins.
Aircraft spraying dispersant won't go within 2km of the rig, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said today.
"What we hope to do is intercept the existing well-bore and at that time pump heavy mud, which is designed to then flow up the H1 well and effectively block it off," Mr Martins said. The procedure has successfully been used previously,he said, without providing an example.
A Singapore-based company has been hired to spray 91,000 litres of seawater a minute on to the West Atlas to disperse the gas and minimise the risk of ignition.
The leak started about 3,500m below the seabed, Mr Martins said. He declined to comment on the chances of the rig catching fire, what caused the leak in the well-bore, how big the size of the hole is, how much oil or gas may be leaking and how much fixing the spill will eventually cost. Australia's Kimberley coast is described by Tourism Australia as one of the world's last true wilderness areas.
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