Professionals, companies, and supervisors of construction are anticipated to be charged.
PUBLISHED: 13 May 2025 at 21: 00
Police in Bangkok are preparing to issue arrest warrants for 17 people who are responsible for the collapse of the State Audit Office ( SAO ) building following the earthquake on March 28. They include engineers, project supervisors, and construction contractor executives.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau ( MPB) conducted a thorough investigation that included physical, documentary, and testimonial evidence related to the design and construction of the 30-storey high-rise.
Professional analyses from the Council of Engineers, the Engineering Institute of Thailand, and Chulalongkorn University are included in the data, as are criminal personal evaluations and material tests on more than 300 steel and concrete samples.
The suspects drop into the categories of the Chinese Railway No. and the Italian-Thai Development, according to authorities options. Building directors, engineers, and construction workers who approved the project were all part of the 10 Engineering Group Co joint enterprise.
For breaking architecture standards, which led to the deaths of others, they are charged under Sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code.
Auditor-General Montien Charoenphol said on Tuesday that he was unconcerned by continuing legal proceedings, including claims of bid-rigging and candidate presence.
Mr. Montien claimed he took over his position last season, but building had already begun. He vowed to work closely with all analytical organizations, though.
He said,” This is a matter of law.” ” If anyone has done anything wrong, they may pay the consequences. Additionally, no one can avoid the law of karma.
He also refuted claims that the SAO has yet to offer a sincere apology to the victims ‘ families. The absence of its executives from the collapse site for several days following the tragedy was obvious.
He said,” I think you should ask the people directly and not listen to people.” SAO authorities have met with the people, whether they are those who are injured or deceased.
We dispatched officers to every household and state. Therefore, everyone has been offered an apology. Don’t believe rumors; believe the facts.
The only high-rise architecture to decline on March 28 when the Thai capital was shaken by an earthquake in the Myanmar region’s Chatuchak district was the SAO headquarters, which was under construction in Bangkok’s Chatuchak area.
When the disaster struck, 109 people were reportedly employed inside the tower. Seven people are also missing, with 89 systems recovered. Four employees listed as on duty were present at the time of the accident and left after learning of the dreadful incident, and nine people were hurt that morning.