BANGKOK — Three weeks after the collapse of the State Audit Office building under construction in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, the investigation into the cause of this building collapse – the only one of its kind in Bangkok – still faces obstacles from the debris removal operations to search for bodies trapped under the rubble. The Thai Prime Minister has therefore ordered relevant agencies to coordinate efforts to advance the investigation further.
Jirayu Huangsap, spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, said that during the cabinet meeting on April 22, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra issued instructions to the authorities to urgently investigate the collapse of the State Audit Office building and to take legal action against those responsible. The instructions are as follows:
- All relevant agencies must cooperate with the police by providing necessary documents and information to facilitate a swift investigation into the cause.
- The State Audit Office (SAO) is requested to submit all related documents, including reports from an internal investigation which found that the contractor had breached the contract without termination as of January 2025.
- The Meteorological Department and the Department of Mineral Resources must urgently submit reports on the impact of the earthquake in the Bangkok area to the Royal Thai Police.
- The Comptroller General’s Department, which oversees procurement standards and construction material quality, is to participate in the investigation, especially regarding procurement law compliance and authority to terminate contracts with non-compliant companies.
- The Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, under the Ministry of Interior, which took part in inspecting the building’s design and acceptance, must fully cooperate with police. Officials involved in certifying the SAO building should be separated from the investigation process.
- The Ministry of Industry is to work with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on cases involving substandard steel and cement, unlawful foreign business operations, and collusion in bidding.
Review Compensation for Those Affected
In terms of compensation for those affected, the Prime Minister has acknowledged complaints that the Comptroller General’s Department’s existing regulations do not reflect actual damages.
She has instructed the relevant authorities, including the CGD, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Department of Public Works and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, to consider possible changes to make the compensation process more flexible and reflect actual damages.
This compensation must not overlap with any insurance payments the building has received for repairs.
Probing Two Possible Causes of the Collapse
Meanwhile, Pongnara Yenying, Director-General of the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning, has reported to the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister that there are two main possible causes for the collapse of the SAO building: Design faults or construction faults. Both possibilities are currently being investigated.
He said that a complex mathematical model is being developed to assess whether construction errors led to the collapse. The department has requested 90 days to do this, as four academic institutions independently create simulations that are then compared.
“The modeling process takes time because it has to incorporate the actual building plans into a computer system and simulate the force of the recent earthquake to determine if the collapse is related to the design,” he said.
Once the results are known, they will be reported to the Home Secretary and then the Prime Minister. The next step will be for the police and DSI to take further legal action if necessary.
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