Thai prosecutors indict 23 over quake skyscraper collapse
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, killing thousands in Thailand's war-torn neighbor.
The tower, meant to house the state audit office, was the only building in Bangkok to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers. The speed and suddenness with which it fell prompted a legal probe.
Thailand's Office of the Attorney General said a case has been submitted to a criminal court, with a decision expected in a matter of months.
'Investigators agreed to indict 23 individuals and legal entities over professional misconduct and forged documents,' it said in a statement.
The indictment included 16 individuals and seven firms, and also listed the names of people representing some of the accused companies, which include an architectural firm and a Chinese construction business.
Further details of the allegations were not released.
However, separately, justice department investigators have previously said they were probing the quality of construction materials used at the site.
Among the individuals indicted is Premchai Karnasuta, one of Thailand's top tycoons.
He serves as executive director of the Italian-Thai Development (ITD) company – one of the kingdom's biggest construction businesses, which has also been indicted.
If convicted, 71-year-old Premchai faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht ($6,000).
This is not the tycoon's first legal tangle.
In 2021, a Thai court sentenced him to three years and two months in prison for poaching protected wildlife, including a black panther.
He was released early in 2023 as part of a group of inmates granted clemency for good behavior.
According to public filings with the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Premchai owns nearly 12 percent of ITD's shares.
He was taken into pre-trial detention in May.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense' after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border
BANGKOK: Thailand's army warned that it may have to 'exercise the right of self-defense' in response to continuing incidents it blames on Cambodia, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the two countries' border have been wounded by land mines. A statement from Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said a sergeant was patrolling the border with seven other soldiers Tuesday morning when he 'stepped on an anti-personnel land mine covertly planted by the Cambodian side, resulting in severe injuries to his left ankle.' The incident and the Thai reaction indicates the precariousness of the ceasefire that took effect on July 29 with the aim of ending five days of armed clashes over disputed territory along their border. The fighting killed dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000. Tuesday's land mine incident was the fourth of its kind in about a month, and the second since the ceasefire. It took place about 1 kilometer from Ta Muen Thom temple, which Thailand claims is located in its Surin province. The area, which was the scene of heavy fighting in July, is one of several along the border that both countries claim as their own. In another disputed area Saturday, a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, including losing his left foot, while two privates suffered lesser injuries. 'This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement and shows no respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and placement of all types of anti-personnel land mines,' said the Thai army statement about the latest incident. Both countries are parties to the international agreement. The statement noted the multiple similar incidents and declared that Thailand 'has consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party.' 'However, should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defense under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,' it warned. Cambodia's Defense Ministry 'categorically and unequivocally rejects the baseless, false, and deliberately misleading allegations from the Thai side regarding the injuries of Thai soldiers,' said its spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata. 'Cambodia, as a proud and responsible State Party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new land mines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honor our obligations under international law,' she said, echoing previous official denials. Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, noted that Cambodia has cleared more than 1 million mines and nearly 3 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970, according to an interview with the Cambodian state news agency AKP. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Thai soldier wounded in Cambodia border landmine blast
A landmine blast on Thailand's border wounded a soldier on Tuesday, the military said, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives in breach of a truce between the countries. Five days of clashes erupted last month as ground troops, artillery and jets waged cross-border combat that killed at least 43 and saw more than 300,000 civilians flee. The Southeast Asian neighbors have a dispute over parts of their border dating back more than a century, but July's fighting was sparked by Thailand's claims that Cambodia planted landmines that wounded its troops. The Royal Thai Army said another landmine detonated around 9:00 am (0200 GMT), blasting off a soldier's leg as they were on patrol near the disputed Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin province. 'Cambodia continues to covertly plant landmines as an ongoing threat,' said a statement from Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree. 'This repeated incident shows bad intentions from the Cambodian side, which goes against the ceasefire agreement,' he added. 'The Thai military may have to exercise our right to defend ourselves.' The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, a government body, has previously issued a statement denying that any new mines had been laid. The border area is still littered with such explosives from past decades. The blast followed a mine explosion on Saturday in neighboring Sisaket province that the Thai army said had wounded three other troops. Thailand and Cambodia have traded allegations of truce-breaking skirmishes since the peace pact came into effect on July 29, however both sides last week pledged to prolong the ceasefire. The deal was brokered by Malaysia's prime minister and Chinese mediators as well as US President Donald Trump -- who described himself on social media as 'the President of PEACE' after the truce was agreed.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, UN report says
GENEVA: United Nations investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the senior perpetrators. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIIM), formed in 2018 to analyze evidence of serious violations of international law, said victims were subject to beatings, electric shocks, strangulations and other forms of torture like the removal of fingernails with pliers. 'We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,' Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism said in a statement accompanying the 16-page report. The torture sometimes resulted in death, the report said. Children, who are often unlawfully detained as proxies for their missing parents, were among those tortured, it said. A spokesperson for Myanmar's military-backed government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests by the UN team for information about the alleged crimes and requests to access the country, the UN report said. The military says it has a duty to ensure peace and security. It has denied atrocities have taken place and has blamed 'terrorists' for causing unrest. The findings in the report covering a one-year period through to June 30 were based on information from more than 1,300 sources, including hundreds of eyewitness testimonies as well as forensic evidence, documents and photographs. The list of perpetrators identified so far includes high-level commanders, the report said. An IIIM spokesperson declined to name them, saying investigations are ongoing and it wanted to avoid alerting the individuals. The report also said that both Myanmar security forces and opposition armed groups had carried out summary executions in the conflict, and it had identified those responsible. A government spokesperson and an opposition spokesperson were not immediately available for comment. Myanmar has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup against an elected civilian government plunged the country into civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been detained since then in an attempt to silence opponents and recruit soldiers, the United Nations says. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ended a four-year state of emergency last month and announced the formation of a new government, with himself as acting president, ahead of a planned election. The IIIM is investigating abuses in Myanmar since 2011, including both crimes committed against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority in 2017 when hundreds of thousands were forced to flee a military crackdown and violations affecting all groups since the coup. The IIIM said that it is supporting several jurisdictions investigating the alleged crimes, such as Britain. However, the IIIM said in its report that UN budget cuts are threatening its work. 'These financial pressures threaten the Mechanism's ability to sustain its critical work and to continue supporting international and national justice efforts,' it said.
