27-5-2024 (BANGKOK) Authorities in Thailand have launched a high-level investigation to ascertain whether arson was the root cause behind the catastrophic fires that ravaged chemical warehouses in Rayong and Ayutthaya provinces this year. The blazes, which occurred months apart, raised grave concerns over industrial safety and the potential environmental fallout from the release of hazardous materials.
In a press briefing on Sunday, Police Lieutenant General Archayon Kraithong, the spokesman for the Royal Thai Police (RTP), revealed that a specialized panel has been convened to spearhead the investigation. The panel comprises investigators from local police stations, the Industrial Works Department, the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, and other state agencies.
The meeting delved into the progress of the probes into the inferno that consumed Win Process’ chemical warehouse in Ban Khai district, Rayong, and a separate blaze at a warehouse owned by a different company in Ayutthaya’s Phachi district.
Acting on the directives of Police General Kittirat Phanphet, the acting national police chief, the investigators have been tasked with swiftly gathering evidence and submitting their findings to a dedicated RTP team overseeing the matter.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon disclosed that forensic experts from the Central Forensic Science Office, after inspecting the Ayutthaya chemical plant, have suggested that the fires there – which occurred twice, first in February and then again at the beginning of this month – may have been acts of arson. “Several witnesses have corroborated this theory, and ‘solid evidence’ has been uncovered,” he stated.
The authorities are also conducting rigorous inspections of various sites where hazardous materials are being stored, with plans to implement a comprehensive safety plan to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
Regarding the Win Process warehouse fire, Pol Lt Gen Archayon acknowledged that a legal review is underway to determine whether the company had adhered to proper protocols in managing its stored chemicals.
Meanwhile, in Rayong, Piya Pitutacha, chair of the provincial administrative organization, revealed that the province is recalibrating its plan to prevent 200,000 cubic meters of contaminated water from the Win Process site from flowing into residential areas. The initial plan to dig ponds at the site to store the contaminated water has been shelved due to the ground being severely damaged by years of chemical exposure, he explained.
