Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Wed, 6 Jan 1993 08:12:57 EST
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: More dead found in Menam Hotel tragedy

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 00:36:01+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>


THE bodies of 10 victims of the Menam Hotel tragedy were found
floating in the Chao Phraya River yesterday about 300 metres from
the point where the wooden pier with 400 revellers sank on
Saturday night, bringing the death toll to 11.

The body of three-year-old Chiranand, the daughter of YHS
International employee Kampol Sukakthanond, was found on Monday.

The bodies retrieved yesterday by marine police and Ruam Katanyoo
Foundation workers were identified as those of Niphon Saeng-ngam,
Somkid Chimklod, Somprat Nilpanich, Charan Kornpanich, Sanit
Charoensuk, Wuthikij Chaisithvorakul, Sakda Yamansameedin, Taweep
Sukphokhi, Rangsan Sriniwatsai and Miss Nam-c  Vhapyang.

Menam Hotel personnel manager Thanakarn Suwannet went to the
Police Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine to see the bodies
and said YHS International's personnel division had confirmed to
him that seven of the 10 bodies were those of its employees.

Sakda and Charan were musicians in the Sukhothai Band that was
playing at the party at the time of the tragedy.

Miss Nam-oi was the daughter of a YHS International employee, he
said.

Only relatives of Sakda, a Muslim, were able to claim his body
yesterday.

Mrs Uang Sukphokhi, 66, the mother of Taweep, another victim, said
she was told of her son's fate by YHS International on Monday.

She and her relatives travelled here from Ayutthaya in a minibus
but by 4.30 p.m. they still had not succeeded in getting
permission to take Taweep's body because the hospital was awaiting
some documents from YHS International.

Mrs Uang said the 100,000 baht compensation offer from the hotel
was not worth her son's life.

Mrs Pathum Chimklod, 24, an elder sister of Somkid, one of the
victims, too complained of foot-dragging on the part of the
authorities in releasing Somkid's body. She and her relatives
travelled here from Chai Nat.

Kampol, the father of three-year-old Chiranand was not being
allowed to take his daughter's body because he could not produce
"all the documents" required by the hospital.

YHS International managing director Chatchaval Asavabenja said the
company held a meeting yesterday and would do its best to speed up
the process and make way for prompt compensation payment to
relatives of the victims on its payroll.

Mr Chatchaval said the company will also consider whether or not
to sue the Menam Hotel.

Meanwhile, Deputy Communications Minister Sawai Pattano said the
pier was apparently being used for a reason other than it was
registered for with the Harbour Department.

"So it is necessary that we look into the matter to prevent the
problem being repeated elesewhere," he said.

The minister said the tragedy was partly caused by a transvestite
show which drew a large number of onlookers to one side of the
pier, causing it to collapse under the sheer weight of the
audience present.

He said legal action must be taken against the hotel.

The ministry's permanent secretary has been instructed to report
the accident in detail.

Disciplinary action may be taken against authorities concerned, Mr
Sawai said but did not elaborate.