DSI also seeking three Thais who served as nominees in establishing local office of Taiwanese contractor
PUBLISHED: 19 Apr 2025 at 21:02
The Department of Special Investigation has arrested a Taiwanese professional of the design firm that was building the State Audit Office building in Bangkok, where dozens of people died when it collapsed during the March 28 disaster.
Zhang Chuanling was taken into custody at a resort in the Ratchadaphisek area of the money on Saturday, the DSI announced.
He is one of four persons sought on arrest warrants for being nominations of China Railway No. 10 ( Thailand ) Co ( CREC ).
The three individuals are Thai citizens: Manas Sri-anan, Prachuap Sirikhet and Sophon Meechai, according to the DSI.
The four were listed as managers of the Thai company of the Chinese state-owned building company, which was in a cooperative venture with SET-listed Italian-Thai Development Plc. The two companies formed the ITD-CREC partnership that was building the 30-storey State Audit Office office in Chatuchak city of Bangkok.
The company target of CREC was listed as Soi Phutthabucha in the Bang Mod region of Thung Khru region in Bangkok. The DSI research into the ownership structure of the organization found 51 % of the stocks were held by Thai citizens: Sophon ( 40. 7997 % ), Prachuap ( 10. 2 % ) and Manas ( 0. 0003 % ). Mr Zhang held the remaining 49 %.
The DSI said on Saturday that its authorities had looked into the shareholdings by Thai contenders and questioned witnesses. They said they had much evidence to believe the use of contenders, in violation of the Foreign Business Act of 1999.
They finally obtained authorization from the Criminal Court for arrest warrants for the four named managers of CREC.
Researchers tracked down Mr Zhang to a resort in the Ratchadaphisek place and took him to the DSI office on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok for questioning.
A research is under way for the three different Thai managers.
Studies by various companies are also continuing into a variety of problems, including the suspected usage of poor material in the construction of the building.
At the decline site, however, rescue groups are now focusing on opening dust around the lift wheel, where the bodies of about 30 missing people are expected to be found.
Many more bodies were recovered on Friday, raising the dying burden to 47, with another 47 people still unaccounted for, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Researchers from the Department of Special Investigation chaperone Zhang Chuanling, an administrative of China Railway No. 10 ( Thailand ) Co, from a Bangkok hotel to the DSI headquarters on Saturday. ( Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham )