BANGKOK — Bangkok will demolish part of the Sam Sen Police Station after engineers determined the building risks collapse due to worsening soil subsidence and a third broken support pile, a move that may delay the planned reopening of Sam Sen Road.
Bangkok Governor Chatchart Sittipunt announced the decision at a press conference Friday morning at Vajira Hospital, following an emergency assessment by a technical working group that included representatives from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), police, the Department of Public Works, and construction contractors.
Situation Deteriorates
The governor revealed that approximately 3,000 cubic meters of sand previously filled into the subsidence area has begun cracking, and soil movement overnight caused a third pile supporting the police station to break.
“There is a risk that the building could collapse during the repair process,” Chatchart said. “For safety and to facilitate backfilling operations, we’ve decided to demolish part of the police station first.”
The decision came after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the site at 10 p.m. Friday and ordered close monitoring of the police station due to increasing subsidence.
Six-Point Action Plan
The working group issued six immediate orders:
- Remove all vehicles, including 30 bicycles, from the police station by drilling through the back wall—to be completed Friday
- Demolish the rightmost section of the building, identified as the highest-risk area
- Reinforce stability on the left side of Sam Sen Road near the Vajira intersection where soil collapsed
- Strengthen the underground tunnel and station
- Monitor the nearby police apartment building, whose foundation piles “are not very long”
- Continuously check Vajira Hospital and Tipangkorn Building, currently stable with no movement detected
Timeline Uncertain
The original plan to reopen Sam Sen Road by October 8 will likely face delays. Chatchart said backfilling cannot resume until the demolition reaches a safe point, though he expects the delay will not be substantial.
“Safety must be the primary focus in all actions,” the governor said. “The schedule will depend on the situation.”
The MRTA and contractor will cover all demolition and repair costs, according to Chatchart. The Royal Thai Police has agreed with the assessment and demolition decision.
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