BANGKOK, May 16th, 2025 — A Thai court has issued arrest warrants for 17 people implicated in the catastrophic collapse of a 33-storey State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok, which killed at least 89 workers and left seven missing following a major magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on March 28th, 2025. The disaster, one of the deadliest structural failures in Thailand’s history, has sparked widespread outrage and scrutiny of construction practices in the capital.
The warrants, approved by the Thai Criminal Court on May 15, 2025, target a range of suspects, including engineers, project supervisors, and executives from the joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., which oversaw the 2.1-billion-baht ($62 million) project. Among those named is Premchai Karnasuta, 71, former president of Italian-Thai Development, a prominent construction firm. Premchai, previously convicted in 2021 for poaching protected wildlife, faces charges of professional negligence causing death, which carries a potential life sentence. Other suspects include Suchart Chutipaphakorn, 64, director of Forum Architect Co., Ltd., and Pimol Charoenying, an 85-year-old engineer whose signature appeared on the building’s plans despite his claims of non-involvement. He claims his signature was forged and says he has evidence to prove this.
The SAO building, located on Kamphaeng Phet Road near Chatuchak Weekend Market, was 30% complete and undergoing piping and glass wall installation when it collapsed. It was the only high-rise in Bangkok to fail during the earthquake, raising questions about its structural integrity.
Investigations by the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), supported by the Council of Engineers, the Engineering Institute of Thailand, and Chulalongkorn University, uncovered multiple violations. Tests on over 300 steel and concrete samples revealed substandard materials, including steel bars from a Thai factory with Chinese owners that was shut down in December 2024. Forensic analysis also confirmed forged signatures on construction documents, with 30 of 38 engineering signatures deemed inauthentic.
Police Major General Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy chief of the investigation team, highlighted design flaws, noting that the building’s elevator shaft walls were misaligned, causing a shift in the torsion center. This defect led to the rapid vertical collapse of the structure during the earthquake’s tremors. “The evidence points to systemic failures in design, supervision, and material quality,” said Deputy Bangkok Police Chief Police Major General Somkuan Puengsap.
The investigation has also drawn attention to the involvement of China Railway No.10. A Chinese executive, Zhang Chuanling, was arrested on April 19, 2025, for violating the Foreign Business Act, which limits foreign ownership in Thai companies to 49%. Workers reported that China Railway No.10 allegedly underpaid contractors, leading to the use of substandard materials and narrower-than-standard columns, further compromising the building’s stability.
Public and political pressure for accountability has been intense. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who visited the site multiple times, vowed swift action, stating on April 18th that arrest warrants would be issued once evidence was sufficient. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt apologized for delays in rescue efforts, which concluded on May 13th after recovering 89 bodies. The Ministry of Labour has disbursed 38 million baht ($1.1 million) in compensation to victims’ families, with up to two million baht per deceased worker.
The collapse has prompted calls for broader reforms in Thailand’s construction industry. An anti-corruption watchdog had flagged irregularities in the SAO project before the disaster, and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is probing potential bid rigging and design alterations. Prime Minister Paetongtarn has urged inspections of all large-scale construction projects to prevent future tragedies.
Italian-Thai Development has stated it is cooperating with the probe, but Premchai could not be reached for comment as of press time.
