Three Thai Executives Still at Large
Substandard Steel Found in Rubble
Thai authorities have arrested a Chinese executive of the construction company responsible for a 30-story building in Bangkok that collapsed on March 28 due to the strong earthquake in Myanmar.
On April 20, international media outlets including the Bangkok Post reported that Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI), under the Ministry of Justice, arrested a Chinese executive of the construction company in charge of the new Audit Office building near Chatuchak Market, which collapsed during the earthquake in Myanmar. The arrest took place the previous day.
Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong announced that the court had issued arrest warrants for four people on charges of violating the Foreign Business Act: one Chinese executive from the construction company "China Railway 10th Bureau" and three Thai executives. However, authorities are currently tracking the whereabouts of the three Thai executives, while only the Chinese executive has been apprehended.
A building under construction collapses in Bangkok, Thailand due to a strong earthquake in Myanmar. Screenshot from X (formerly Twitter)
The local Thai subsidiary of China Railway 10th Bureau, a construction company under the Chinese state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), was building the new Audit Office in partnership with Italian-Thai Development. According to official documents, the arrested Chinese executive holds a 49% stake in the subsidiary, while the remaining 51% is held by the three Thai executives. However, authorities have obtained evidence that a foreign national held more than 49% of the shares through borrowed-name accounts. Thailand's Foreign Business Act limits foreign ownership in local companies to 49%.
Jiang Changlin, a Chinese associate of the construction company responsible for the Thai Audit Office building that collapsed due to last month's earthquake, is being escorted after being arrested by Thai investigative authorities at a hotel in Bangkok on the 19th. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
ITD-CREC, a joint venture between China Railway 10th Bureau and Italian-Thai Development, won the contract to construct the Audit Office building through a competitive bid in 2020 and began construction at the end of that year. However, on March 28, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar caused the building under construction to completely collapse.
Other nearby buildings suffered little damage, and it was reported that the structural framework of the collapsed building had already been completed. The Thai Ministry of Industry stated that tests on construction materials recovered from the debris revealed the presence of "substandard steel" in some samples.
So far, the collapse has resulted in 47 deaths, and it is estimated that another 47 people remain trapped under the debris. Despite the Songkran festival, Thailand's largest holiday, heavy machinery continues to be used for debris removal at the site. Rescue operations are ongoing around the elevator shaft, where about 30 people are believed to be missing.
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