Latest news with #AnutinCharnvirakul
Malaysiakini
5 days ago
- Climate
- Malaysiakini
Sg Golok: Thailand to give heads up to M'sia on dam water release
Thailand has agreed to notify Malaysia at least three to four days in advance before releasing water from its dams to allow for preparations against potential overflow of the Sungai Golok River in Kelantan. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he had raised the matter during a meeting with his Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also home minister, on the sidelines of the 8th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Geneva today.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Bangkok to review quake safety after collapse of high-rise leaves dozens missing
BANGKOK — Thai authorities said Monday they are investigating why a single office tower under construction in Bangkok collapsed during an earthquake Friday that otherwise caused limited damage in the capital. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site as heavy equipment pulled away rubble from the 30-story building in hopes of finding survivors among the 78 people still missing. He said it is most urgent to first concentrate on finding whoever might be saved. 'Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I think we have to move on, carry on,' he said. But in the longer run it's important to ensure building safety in the city, which has millions of people living and working in thousands of high-rise buildings. The magnitude 7.7 quake centered more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away killed more than 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in Thailand, most at the Bangkok construction site near the popular Chatuchak Market. 'What's important in the long-term and medium-term, I think we need to find the root cause so at least we can learn some lessons and improve building regulations,' he said. 'In the end, we will have some results that will improve safety in Bangkok.' Shares in the property developer handling the project, Italian Thai Development, sank 27% on Monday as questions were raised about the high-rise's design, enforcement of construction safety codes, and the state-run Chinese contractor building the structure, the State Audit Office building. Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, whose family owns one of Thailand's largest construction conglomerates, told reporters he ordered an investigation committee to be set up and to report the results back to him within seven days. He pointed to three possible factors: the designer, the inspectors or the builders. 'We will definitely find the true reasons as to why this building has collapsed, because it's all scientific,' Anutin said. Although it does not sit near a geologic fault, Bangkok is built on relatively unstable alluvial soil, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The city has long been sinking under the weight of its many tall buildings, leading authorities to restrict the use of groundwater to help reduce subsidence. The Myanmar quake Friday gave the city an unusually long and strong jolt, causing water from rooftop pools to cascade down skyscrapers, light-rail trains to rock on their tracks, and millions of people to flee homes and apartment buildings. Many people waited for hours to see if their homes and offices were safe. Most other damage in the city appeared to be superficial, such as fallen ceiling panels and fittings and cracked plaster.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bangkok to review quake safety after collapse of high-rise leaves dozens missing
Thai authorities said they are investigating why a single office tower under construction in Bangkok collapsed during an earthquake on Friday that otherwise caused limited damage in the capital. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site as heavy equipment pulled away rubble from the 30-story building in hopes of finding survivors among the 78 people still missing. He said it is most urgent to first concentrate on finding whoever might be saved. 'Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I think we have to move on, carry on,' he said. But in the longer run it is important to ensure building safety in the city, which has millions of people living and working in thousands of high-rise buildings. The magnitude 7.7 quake centred more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometres) away killed more than 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in Thailand, most at the Bangkok construction site near the popular Chatuchak Market. 'What's important in the long-term and medium-term, I think we need to find the root cause so at least we can learn some lessons and improve building regulations,' he said. 'In the end, we will have some results that will improve safety in Bangkok.' Shares in the property developer handling the project, Italian Thai Development, sank 27% on Monday as questions were raised about the high-rise's design, enforcement of construction safety codes, and the state-run Chinese contractor building the structure, the State Audit Office building. Interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul, whose family owns one of Thailand's largest construction conglomerates, told reporters he ordered an investigation committee to be set up and to report the results back to him within seven days. He pointed to three possible factors: the designer, the inspectors or the builders. 'We will definitely find the true reasons as to why this building has collapsed, because it's all scientific,' Mr Anutin said. Although it does not sit near a geologic fault, Bangkok is built on relatively unstable alluvial soil, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The city has long been sinking under the weight of its many tall buildings, leading authorities to restrict the use of groundwater to help reduce subsidence. The Myanmar earthquake on Friday gave the city an unusually long and strong jolt, causing water from rooftop pools to cascade down skyscrapers, light-rail trains to rock on their tracks, and millions of people to flee homes and apartment buildings. Many people waited for hours to see if their homes and offices were safe. Most other damage in the city appeared to be superficial, such as fallen ceiling panels and fittings and cracked plaster.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thailand Probes Collapse of Only Skyscraper to Crumble in Quake
(Bloomberg) -- The collapse of a skyscraper under construction in Bangkok — the lone building to crash during the massive earthquake last week — has become the center of Thai investigations as questions swirl around the construction and quality of the materials used by a joint venture of Thai-Chinese contractors. Gold-Rush Fever Returns to Historic New Zealand Mining Town What Frank Lloyd Wright Learned From the Desert Bank Regulators Fight for Desks as OCC Returns to New York Tower These US Bridges Face High Risk of Catastrophic Ship Strikes Charter Schools, Colleges Push Muni Debt Distress Near Record The 30-story building, which was set to be a new location for Thailand's State Audit Office, crumbled within minutes of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, killing 11 workers and trapping nearly 80 people. Last-ditch efforts are ongoing to find survivors, with the massive piles of concrete rubble making the task difficult even after 72 hours of the quake. Thailand's Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Sunday set up a panel of experts to probe the collapse and report its findings to the government within seven days. Separately, the Ministry of Industry has collected samples of steel bars found at the site to test the quality of the material. Two companies in particular have drawn public scrutiny. The building was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Pcl and China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co. The venture was awarded the 2.14 billion baht ($63 million) contract through competitive bidding in 2020, with construction starting later that year, according to the State Audit Office. The top of the building, which was about 45% complete, was seen crumbling first, before the entire structure came down, sending rubble and debris flying everywhere. Bystanders were heard screaming in disbelief in the videos that went viral on social media. 'We've never seen anything like this in Thailand,' said Suchatvee Suwansawat, a civil engineer who ran for Bangkok governor during the 2022 election, at the site of the collapse on Sunday. 'The way it collapsed, like there was an explosion, isn't normal. The question is how do we identify the abnormality to find the cause?' While the contractors haven't offered any explanation yet for the collapse, Italian-Thai said it was committed to 'taking corrective actions to restore normalcy as soon as possible.' The company, one of the biggest Thai contractors, was in the news last year as it faced a cash crunch and frequent accidents at some of its project sites. It was also under fire earlier this month for the collapse of an under-construction highway in Bangkok which killed six people. China Railway Number 10 couldn't immediately be reached for comment. The firm is a subsidiary of state-owned China Railway Group Ltd.. The joint venture with Italian-Thai was also listed as a contractor for one part of the Thailand-China high-speed railway project, according to a government website. Chinese Support As the companies drew heat, China's ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang met with minister Anutin and pledged to support the government in its investigation, the minister said. The probe will focus on the designer, construction supervisor and contractor, Anutin said. 'If it's proven that the builder strayed from the design plan and used other material than what was specified, they will be punished under the law,' he told reporters. Although Myanmar was hit much worse, with the death toll set to climb from more than 1,700, the incident in Bangkok stood out in a city that withstood much of the impact of the temblor. About 13,000 buildings have reported some form of damage to Bangkok authorities, according to Thanes Weerasiri, president of the Council of Engineers Thailand. Only two of them were categorized as critical, while about 2,000 others still needed pection, Thanes said on Monday. Shares of Italian-Thai tumbled as much as 27% in Bangkok trading, the most in a year. The collapsed building has insurance coverage for the full contract value, the company said, adding that it will provide compensation and relief for the families of those killed and medical care for injured survivors. Shares of several condominium builders were hit on speculation that buyers may prefer landed houses to high-rise residential towers in Bangkok, among the world's top tourist destinations. The Thai property development index tumbled as much as 4.3%, with Everland Pcl, AP Thailand Pcl and Origin Property Pcl among the biggest losers. --With assistance from Lucille Liu. Trump's IRS Cuts Are Tempting Taxpayers to Cheat Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPT Israel Aims to Be the World's Arms Dealer Business Schools Are Back How a US Maker of Rat-Proof Trash Bins Got Boxed in by Trump's Tariffs ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bangkok to review quake safety after collapse of high-rise leaves dozens missing
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities said Monday they are investigating why a single office tower under construction in Bangkok collapsed during an earthquake Friday that otherwise caused limited damage in the capital. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the site as heavy equipment pulled away rubble from the 30-story building in hopes of finding survivors among the 78 people still missing. He said it is most urgent to first concentrate on finding whoever might be saved. "Even one life saved is worth all the effort, so I think we have to move on, carry on,' he said. But in the longer run it's important to ensure building safety in the city, which has millions of people living and working in thousands of high-rise buildings. The magnitude 7.7 quake centered more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away killed more than 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in Thailand, most at the Bangkok construction site near the popular Chatuchak Market. 'What's important in the long-term and medium-term, I think we need to find the root cause so at least we can learn some lessons and improve building regulations," he said. 'In the end, we will have some results that will improve safety in Bangkok.' Shares in the property developer handling the project, Italian Thai Development, sank 27% on Monday as questions were raised about the high-rise's design, enforcement of construction safety codes, and the state-run Chinese contractor building the structure, the State Audit Office building. Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, whose family owns one of Thailand's largest construction conglomerates, told reporters he ordered an investigation committee to be set up and to report the results back to him within seven days. He pointed to three possible factors: the designer, the inspectors or the builders. 'We will definitely find the true reasons as to why this building has collapsed, because it's all scientific,' Anutin said. Although it does not sit near a geologic fault, Bangkok is built on relatively unstable alluvial soil, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The city has long been sinking under the weight of its many tall buildings, leading authorities to restrict the use of groundwater to help reduce subsidence. The Myanmar quake Friday gave the city an unusually long and strong jolt, causing water from rooftop pools to cascade down skyscrapers, light-rail trains to rock on their tracks, and millions of people to flee homes and apartment buildings. Many people waited for hours to see if their homes and offices were safe. Most other damage in the city appeared to be superficial, such as fallen ceiling panels and fittings and cracked plaster.
