BANGKOK, August 7th, 2025 — Thai prosecutors have indicted 23 suspects, including the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc and representatives of a Chinese state-owned company, for their roles in the catastrophic collapse of an under construction 30 plus storey State Audit Office tower in Bangkok during a major magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on March 28th, 2025. The disaster, which killed at least 89 people, mostly construction workers, has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter oversight in Thailand’s construction industry.
The partially built tower in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district was the only structure in the capital to collapse during tremors originating from a powerful earthquake centered in neighboring Myanmar. The speed and suddenness of the collapse, which occurred seconds after the tremors hit, brought a swift legal investigation into the project, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc, one of Thailand’s largest construction firms, and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Railway Group.
Among those indicted is Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development and an executive with China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. Prosecutors charged Karnasuta, along with 21 other individuals and seven firms, including an architectural company, with breaching construction regulations, professional negligence causing death, and falsifying documents. Sakkasem Nisaiyok, a spokesman for Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General, announced the charges in a statement on Thursday, noting that the case has been submitted to a criminal court, with a verdict expected within months.
The March 28th earthquake, with its epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar, caused widespread devastation in the region, killing thousands in Myanmar and at least 89 people at the Bangkok site, with 11 others still unaccounted for. The collapse of the State Audit Office tower, intended to house Thailand’s auditing authority, has been described as the country’s worst structural failure linked to corporate negligence.
Investigations revealed allegations of professional misconduct, including the use of substandard materials and forged documentation, which may have compromised the building’s structural integrity. The swift collapse, despite Bangkok being over 600 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter, raised questions about the project’s compliance with seismic safety standards. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has faced mounting public pressure to address these lapses, calling for a thorough review of all construction projects involving China Railway Number 10, which is linked to several other developments in Thailand.
The case has ignited a national debate on construction safety, regulatory enforcement, and potential corruption in the industry. Observers suggest the trial could mark a turning point for accountability in Thailand’s building sector, with both Italian-Thai Development and China Railway Number 10 facing possible bans from future government contracts pending the trial’s outcome.
The indictment follows earlier arrests in May 2025, when Bangkok police issued warrants for 17 executives, engineers, and company representatives, including Karnasuta and Chuanling Zhang, a Chinese state employee linked to China Railway Number 10. The ongoing investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, has revealed systemic issues in Thailand’s construction industry, with critics pointing to lax oversight and corporate greed as contributing factors to the tragedy.
As the case heads to court, families of the victims and the public await justice for the lives lost in one of Thailand’s deadliest construction disasters.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
