Arson suspected in fire that destroyed ex-Democrat MP's car in Songkhla

The investigation into the cause of a fire, which destroyed a car belonging to former Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha, has uncovered evidence of possible arson.

Forensics officers discovered several tyres beneath the vehicle, raising suspicions of deliberate ignition.

The incident occurred at about 3am on Saturday at Sirichok’s house in Songkhla’s Nathawi district, where his GWM Haval PHEV caught fire while parked outside his home.

Sirichok, 58, shared a video clip and his account of the incident on social media later that morning, describing how he was awakened by the sound of an explosion and saw his vehicle engulfed in flames.

“I woke up around 3am to a loud bang and saw flames erupting from my car parked in front of my house,” he wrote. “The car hadn’t been charging, it was just sitting there. There was no warning at all. It was terrifying.”

He said it took firefighters some time to bring the blaze under control. By the time the fire was extinguished, the car had been completely destroyed.

Forensics officers found several burnt car tyres and palm-thatch roofing material placed under the vehicle.

They believe these findings point to arson.

Sirichok said the fire came just days after he made sarcastic remarks about a local politician, which he suspects may have provoked retaliation.

Investigators are collecting CCTV footage from the surrounding area. Initial findings show two men on a motorcycle entering and then leaving Sirichok’s property around the time of the fire.

Sirichok told reporters that the vehicle, which runs on both gasoline and electricity, had been in use for over two years without any issues.

While he initially considered the cause to be a technical fault, he now leans towards the arson theory.