Suradej sharply condemned the Ladprao Brewery fire, reaffirming two prior lessons from the Santika and Mountain B incidents that were never properly addressed. He accused officials and business owners of greed and disregard for public safety, demanding criminal and civil prosecutions and declaring that someone must go to jail. He emphasized that there should be no such clubs operating in the country in the future.
On 14 July 2026, Suradej Yasawat, former deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party, commented on the Ladprao Brewery fire incident at the Ladprao entertainment venue on the night of 12 July. He first expressed deepest condolences to the families of the victims. He said this fire incident reflects the government's failure to seriously address this problem and reveals ongoing negligence, with officials only active when incidents occur but failing to resolve the issues afterward. Despite experiencing two similar tragedies—the Santika nightclub fire in 2009 and the Mountain B nightclub fire in 2022—opportunities to enforce tighter controls were completely missed. The cause of many deaths and injuries remains the same: people could not escape in time, emergency exits were unusable or very limited, the building's structure and safety systems were deficient, the building was sealed without ventilation, and lacked sprinkler systems. Large venues of 500 square meters or more, or based on building height, must install sprinkler systems. While some smaller venues may be classified as restaurants or single-story buildings legally exempting them from sprinklers, international safety standards consider sprinklers essential due to high risks such as flammable ceilings, alcohol materials, and delayed evacuation. If sprinkler installation is limited by the building, the law may allow other automatic fire suppression systems of equivalent standard.
Suradej noted further concerns, questioning why circuit breakers did not activate during electrical short circuits and why construction materials did not meet safety standards, often using flammable materials. He said that since these problems persist, it means they have never been resolved. The root cause is operator negligence and official lapses. Operators have the duty to comply with all standards, yet many non-compliant venues have been licensed to operate.
"This is not a one-sided issue. It suggests that some government officials involved in licensing may have benefited or accepted bribes to allow such nightclubs to operate. Also, is there consistent and continuous inspection after licensing? If inspections happened and still allowed this, how could officials fail to detect irregularities unless they were bribed or, as commonly known, there was extortion? Therefore, in addition to prosecuting operators, officials involved must also be held accountable. This must not end with just a small compensation because every life is invaluable," Suradej stated.
Suradej added that initially, the nightclub owners or operators responsible for the fire must be held liable under criminal, civil, and specific control laws. Criminal charges include negligence causing death with a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to 200,000 baht; negligence causing serious injury with up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine up to 60,000 baht or both; and causing fire by negligence endangering life or property with up to 7 years imprisonment or a fine up to 140,000 baht or both.
He continued that officials must be scrutinized starting with the district office where the incident occurred. The district director, as a local official under building control laws, and related personnel may face disciplinary, civil, and criminal responsibility if found negligent or if they permitted building use and business operation in violation of safety laws. Likewise, local police must be investigated for criminal neglect of duty under Article 157 of the Penal Code and possible tort liability if they knowingly allowed or ignored the illegal operation of entertainment venues without permits or safety standards. Authorities must act to inspect and shut down such illegal establishments.
Suradej concluded, "It is clear that we must now take these tragic events seriously, not just offer superficial responses as before. Everyone responsible must be punished. Business owners must face imprisonment to set an example so others do not neglect safety or exploit loopholes leading to loss of life. Such incidents must never happen again—not only in Bangkok but equally across all provinces. Governors, district chiefs, and especially police commanders must strictly oversee this. This is not mere negligence, but selfishness and irresponsibility by some individuals or groups who prioritize profit over public safety."