An air of urgency descends upon the halls of power as Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin calls for a sweeping overhaul of the rules governing the nation’s fireworks factories. The call to arms follows in the tragic aftermath of an inferno that claimed the lives of 23 at a factory in Suphan Buri—a Wednesday that etched itself into the memories of a community with fire and loss. Twin beacons of leadership, Industry Ministry stalwart Nattapol Rangsitpol and the Department of Provincial Administration’s tactician Somchai Lersprasittipan, flanked Mr Somsak during a Government House press briefing on Friday. There, amidst the hushed tones of the media, they unveiled initiatives for compensatory frameworks for the bereaved and the blueprints for tighter fireworks regulation. Cutting through the tape of bureaucracy, Mr Somsak pointed towards a constellation of five ministries—the bulwarks of Defense, Interior, Public Health, Labour, and Industry—that are the custodians of current fireworks…
