Mon Merchants Count Losses after Fire Guts Market

Merchants at a market in the Thai border town of Sangkhlaburi said they lost everything in a massive blaze that destroyed 36 furniture showrooms on Tuesday, causing an estimated 100 million baht (US $3.3 million) in damage.

The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical short, swept through the market in an ethnic Mon village in the town at around 8 pm Tuesday during a festival at the local pagoda, according to residents.

“I had just one shop, and now it's gone,” said Kyi Win, a former village head who said he lost around 2 million baht ($66,000) worth of merchandise in the conflagration.

Kyi Win was one of 60 Mon merchants whose businesses burned to the ground after firefighters and volunteers failed to bring the blaze under control. According to a survey conducted by the Thai authorities on Thursday, the victims said they lost between 1 million and 5 million baht each.

“I had five showrooms, including two that were full of furniture,” said one woman who asked not to be identified. “I lost about 5 million baht.”

On Thursday, the head of the provincial government of Kanchanaburi visited the site of the fire and expressed his condolences to some of those who lost property. No casualties were reported.

Although the majority of the village's roughly 10,000 inhabitants are ethnic Mon, most hold Thai citizenship. Some expressed hope that the Thai government would compensate them for their losses, but others said that was unlikely, since the market was not built by the government.

“I had many windows, which are very expensive, but I doubt I will get any compensation,” said Nai Sarapon, who said she lost about 4 million baht.

Located close to the village pagoda, which attracts both Thai and foreign tourists, the market mainly sold furniture brought across the border from Burma.

Visitors have been told by the authorities to stay out of the burned-out market site at the request of shop owners, who said they wanted to scour the area for any precious stones or other valuables that may have survived the fire.

The village was established in 1984 by U Uttama, a Buddhist monk of Mon ethnicity who migrated to Thailand in 1949 with 60 followers to avoid the civil war in Burma.

According to some local residents, the fire was a result of bad karma, as some merchants sold alcohol despite a prohibition introduced after U Uttama passed away in 2006.

While many merchants were despondent at the loss of their worldly possessions, some tried to take their misfortune in stride. 

“As long as I'm still alive, I can always make more money,” said one woman whose business was destroyed.