Owner of incinerated Super department store requests compensation

September 1, 2012

NARATHIWAT, Sept 1 -- The owner of Super Department Store in the southern province of Narathiwat asks the government for compensation after a bomb attack that resulted in around Bt100 million in fire damage.

Super Department Store 4 Narathiwat deputy managing director Waraphon Sirichai said that she believed the fire was started from a bomb which was hidden in the department store, because an explosion sound was heard from inside the building before the fire that raged through the department store.

She said damages would be around Bt100 million as the building, clothes, and goods were totally destroyed.

Ms Waraphon said she wanted the government to help by extending remedy or compensation promptly as her department store needed capital to run the business and more time was needed to recover from the incident. Ms Waraphon said she was eager to carry on for her family and staff.

She said her staff had played a crucial role in preventing an attack at the department store until the incident on Friday.

More than 200 staff would be forced to stop working as it would take time to rebuild the department store, she said.

Ms Waraphon said the attack was aimed at sabotaging the economy of the province.

Meanwhile, tightened security was applied in Songkhla's Hat Yai district after bombs were planted with Malaysian flags and disturbances seen in four southernmost provinces.

Defence volunteers on foot patrol were deployed along main trade and tourism areas of Hat Yai to discourage any future attacks.

Songkhla police also set up security checkpoints around the city centre to ensure the safety of the commercial district. (MCOT online news)

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