BANGKOK — In the aftermath of the Myanmar earthquake that sent tremors as far as Bangkok, over 1,100 kilometers away, the Office of the Auditor General’s building under construction collapsed completely, trapping a hundred of workers when it came down at 1:20 PM on March 28.
The question on everyone’s mind, including Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is how a 33-story, 137-meter-tall building could be the only structure in Bangkok to collapse.
Initial explanations from Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, that the building’s structure hadn’t fully set and collapsed “like layers of cake” during the tremors, have done little to address these concerns.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration could not provide answers, as government buildings are exempt from city construction permits under the law.
With these circumstances, all scrutiny now falls directly on the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).
Auditors Now Being Audited
The OAG, normally responsible for auditing other government agencies, now finds itself under investigation.
The Prime Minister has ordered a fact-finding mission to be completed within one week. Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an order on Sunday, March 30, establishing a committee led by the Chief Engineer from the Department of Public Works and credible experts.
“We expect it will take about seven days to establish the facts. No matter what files may have been removed, construction plans, documents, and contracts still remain at the OAG and cannot be taken away,” he stated.
Who Bears Responsibility?
Anutin explained that the investigation will focus on three groups: 1) designers, 2) construction supervisors, and 3) contractors.
Initial findings show the contract was between a Thai-Chinese joint venture (ITD-CREC, or Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited and China Railway No. 10 [Thailand] Co., Ltd.), who must share responsibility. He affirmed that whoever is found at fault, both companies must be held accountable.
“According to building earthquake resistance design laws established in 1997, the investigation must first examine the building’s design. If the design is correct, then the construction process must be scrutinized,” the Interior Minister said.
OAG Releases Project Details
The same day, the OAG issued its first statement since the incident. Besides expressing condolences, it disclosed project details previously reported by several media outlets:
- Building Design: Presented by FORUM ARCHITECT Co. Ltd. in 2018 and Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd. (structural design) with a budget of 73 million baht.
- Construction: Budget of 2,560 million baht ($75.4 million), contracted to ITD-CREC (Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited) joint venture with China Railway for 2,136 million baht ($62.9 million), below the median price. Payments of 966.80 million baht ($28.5 million) have already been disbursed.
- Supervision: Contracted to PKW Joint Venture for 74.65 million baht ($2.2 million) to supervise and certify material quality testing.
Deny Rumors but Allegations remain
The OAG statement emphasized that the organization conducted the project with transparency principles, establishing an integrity pact with the Anti-Corruption Organization and contractors.
It also denied social media rumors about structural design modifications to reduce size, confirming that the columns followed specifications: front columns measuring 1.40×1.40 meters and circular columns of 0.80 meters from the 29th floor to the roof.
However, other allegations remain pending investigation.
Industry Minister Ekanat Promphan, after inspecting steel samples collected from the construction site, refrained from making accusations but commented, “Just seeing it left me stunned.”
CREC’s First Special High-Rise Project
Not only is the OAG under scrutiny, but China Railway No.10 Engineering Group (CREC), a subsidiary of a major Chinese state enterprise, has also come under fire from architectural circles.
Questions arose about why a company specializing in railway construction received a contract for a special high-rise building, which was advertised as “CREC’s first special high-rise construction project abroad.” The company had promoted this project as reflecting China’s engineering competitive capabilities as it makes serious inroads into the Southeast Asian market.
Chinese Officials Promise Cooperation
Following the incident, project information disappeared from the internet. On Sunday, March 30, four Chinese nationals were caught sneaking into the collapsed building site and attempting to remove 32 files, prompting the Bangkok Chatuchak District Director to file charges.
Police investigation revealed all four worked for CREC and claimed they needed the documents for insurance claims. Investigators have seized the materials, which included construction contractor documents, RFI copies, subcontractor documents, and electrical and transportation engineering documents.
This incident occurred around the same time Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang met with Deputy PM Anutin and pledged cooperation in the investigation of the collapsed building, which was being constructed by CREC.
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