Warrants issued over Bangkok fire

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

Sixty-four people were killed when the blaze swept through the nightclub

Bangkok police say they have issued arrest warrants for two of the owners of the club which burned down on New Year's Eve, killing 64 people.

The two suspects will be charged with negligence and allowing underage guests into the club.

They could face a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

Survivors say there were no emergency exits, fire extinguishers or sprinkler systems in the club, which had 1,000 people in it when the fire broke out.

'Restaurant' listing

The police have moved swiftly to bring charges against the owners of the Santika club over the New Year's Eve tragedy and they say more people may be charged as their investigation progresses.

They have already discovered that the club had no sprinkler system or emergency lighting, and only one exit, which was 2m (6ft 7in) wide.

Many of the victims were crushed under a stampede of people struggling to find the single exit in pitch darkness.

However, the larger question, over how a club without even the most basic safety precautions was allowed to remain open for more than four years, has not yet been addressed.

It turns out that the Santika, like many clubs here, had got around the strict zoning laws in Bangkok by listing itself only as a restaurant.

Club owners say they routinely pay bribes to the police to enable their businesses to remain open.

Officials from the Bangkok City Government must also have failed in their requirement to inspect the building.

So far, no police or city officials have been investigated in their role in the fire. If previous accidents like this are any guide, they never will be.