Owners of over 20 speedboats destroyed by fire along Chalong Bay have filed complaints with the Damrongtham Center. More than 10 days after the incident, there is still no sign of anyone taking responsibility. Meanwhile, the owners are burdened with extra costs to rent boats to take their booked customers on trips.
At 11:10 a.m. on 19 Jan 2026, at the Phuket Damrongtham Center meeting room in the Phuket Provincial Hall, 20 speedboat owners whose boats were moored along Chalong Bay, Chalong Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District, and destroyed by fire on the morning of 7 Jan 2026, gathered. The total damage exceeded 38 million baht. The fire started on a boat owned by a prominent marine tour company, but more than 10 days later, there has been no progress in the investigation or accountability from the company. The affected owners have had to bear various burdens, such as renting boats to serve customers who had pre-booked tours, leading to increased expenses. Some boats are still under finance payments but unusable. None of the boats were insured. The owners united to seek justice at the Phuket Damrongtham Center. Present to listen to their concerns were Charan Khwankaew, Acting Head of Strategy and Management at the Phuket Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, and Ekaphop Buatuan, Senior Legal Officer at the Phuket Damrongtham Center.
Following this, Priyanuch Sengiamkul and Kitiya Bensuk, owners of two of the 20 damaged speedboats, represented the boat owners by submitting letters and important documents from the victims to officials representing the Phuket Damrongtham Center.
Kitiya Bensuk, one of the speedboat owners, said they came to the Damrongtham Center seeking justice, demanding that the boat responsible for the fire take full responsibility for all damages. She owns three boats that were damaged and currently has no boats to operate. She said, "We have had to rent boats, which is very difficult. We want them to cover all expenses, including the damage caused by the fire. So far, there has been no sign of responsibility, not even a word of apology."
Priyanuch Sengiamkul, owner of two speedboats damaged by the fire, said she wants government agencies to serve as a neutral platform for the owners of the boat that caused the fire to take responsibility. More than 10 days have passed with no accountability. Today, she submitted evidence to the Phuket Damrongtham Center for the first time and plans to continue seeking justice through other agencies to mediate the claim for damages from the responsible boat. Initially, they want a transparent and fair result from the investigation of the boat that caused the fire.
Meanwhile, Charan Khwankaew and Ekaphop Buatuan received the letter requesting justice from the victims to present to the Phuket Governor and related agencies such as the Phuket Provincial Police and Phuket Forensic Department. This aims to expedite the investigation and the results of the examination of the boat responsible for the fire, leading to subsequent legal procedures.