Burn lead singer is scapegoat :Justice Ministry

The 28-year-old was earlier charged of setting off fireworks on stage that set the Santika Pub ablaze killing 66 partygoers.

Pirapan told the press yesterday that his ministry's investigation team has found faults in the police reports and would therefore tell the Department of Special Investigation take it up as a special case on February 11. The minister said the findings would also be submitted to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva today.

Things don't match

Reporters were yesterday shown security-camera footage within the club and images of forensics chief Porntip Rojanasunan conducting a test on the fireworks believed to have been used.

The security-camera footage, which the ministry's panel reportedly obtained three days after the fire, contradicted witness testimonies that Saravuth had lit fireworks on stage. The footage shows balls of fire falling from the ceiling 2.57 minutes after the pyrotechnics were lit, and Saravuth is seen leaving the stage. There were no images of the singer lighting the fireworks.

Pirapan said experiments showed that fireworks take a while to spark a blaze. However, security footage shows that the fire spread in a couple of minutes, probably because the ceiling was made of flammable materials.

He has urged witnesses to carefully review their accounts, adding that many of the surviving partygoers could no longer be contacted at the numbers they had provided.

In a separate occasion, Abhisit yesterday said he agreed with the idea of having the DSI look into the club's fire because the case was too complicated, adding that the Justice Ministry and the police work hand in hand and exchange any information and evidence they may have.

Traces of drugs discovered

Pirapan revealed that traces of heroin and cocaine had been found in staff and musicians' dressing rooms, and it was suspected that drugs freely changed hands inside the venue. The panel has told the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to further investigate.

The Anti-Money Laundering Office was also instructed to look into the Bt20-million transfer into the club's bank account supposedly from an alcohol company. The firm denied making any such transaction.

The team is also questioning why the police stopped raiding the premises after a certain individual bought shares in the White and Brothers on September 17, 2006. This was despite the 47 arrests police had made previously for unauthorised opening of the venue and selling booze at prohibited times.

Pirapan also revealed that Suriya Ritrabeu, managing director of White and Brothers, had a history of drug abuse and further investigation showed that Santika Pub had paid no excise taxes throughout its five years of operation.

In addition, documents were found containing forged signatures of an architect and a construction-supervisory engineer, which might have been part of an illegal ruse to issue forged construction permits. The engineer's name was used in 33 applications for construction permits, he said. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has been urged to look into this aspect of the case because it goes against the Building Control Act.

Meanwhile, the police continues to stand by its claim that Saravuth is to be blamed for the blaze.

"We have clear evidence or else the court would have not approved the arrest warrant," Pol Colonel Kachornsak Pansakorn said.