Latest news with #Italian-Thai
Asahi Shimbun
16-05-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Thai construction magnate surrenders on felony negligence charges over building collapse in quake
Rescuers search for victims at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok on March 29. (AP Photo) BANGKOK--A construction magnate and several builders, designers and engineers surrendered to police Friday on criminal negligence charges for the deadly collapse of a Bangkok high-rise in the March 28 earthquake that hit Myanmar. Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Co, the main Thai contractor for the building project, as well as designers and engineers were among 17 charged with the felony of professional negligence causing death, Bangkok deputy police chief Noppasin Poonsawat said. Noppasin said those who met police on Friday formally denied the charges. Several have previously issued public denials in response to allegations in the media. Ninety-two people were confirmed dead in the rubble of the building that had been under construction and a small number of other people remain unaccounted for. The building, which was to become a new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to collapse in the earthquake that was centered in neighboring Myanmar. The search for victims at the site has been halted, though efforts to identify remains through DNA will continue. Noppasin said at a news conference that evidence and testimony from experts suggested the building plan did not meet standards and codes. The Bangkok Post newspaper said police had also determined the project showed 'structural flaws in the core lift shaft and substandard concrete and steel.' Thai media have reported allegations of wrongdoing in the project almost every day since the building's collapse, many of them involving irregular documentation for the project. Their reports have highlighted the role of Italian-Thai's Chinese joint venture partner, the China Railway No. 10 company, which is involved in projects around the world. A Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the 17 on Thursday. Noppasin said 15 turned themselves in at a police station in the morning and the remaining two were expected to do so later Friday. The epicenter of the quake was in central Myanmar, where it killed more than 3,700 people and caused major damage in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city, and the capital Naypyitaw. Premchai's case is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of wildlife poaching and served about three years in prison. He was found guilty of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons after park rangers found a hunting party at a wildlife sanctuary in 2018 with carcasses of a rare black panther, a kalij pheasant and a barking deer. The panther had been butchered and its meat cooked for soup.
The Star
16-05-2025
- The Star
Thai construction magnate surrenders on felony negligence charges over building collapse in quake
Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Co arriving on a wheelchair at Bang Sue Police Station in Bangkok on May 16, 2025 to surrender to police. - AP BANGKOK: A construction magnate and several builders, designers and engineers surrendered to police Friday (May 16) on criminal negligence charges for the deadly collapse of a Bangkok high-rise in the March 28 earthquake that hit Myanmar. Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Co, the main Thai contractor for the building project, as well as designers and engineers were among 17 charged with the felony of professional negligence causing death, Bangkok deputy police chief Noppasin Poonsawat said. Noppasin said those who met police on Friday formally denied the charges. Several have previously issued public denials in response to allegations in the media. Ninety-two people were confirmed dead in the rubble of the building that had been under construction and a small number of other people remain unaccounted for. The building, which was to become a new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to collapse in the earthquake that was centered in neighbouring Myanmar. The search for victims at the site has been halted, though efforts to identify remains through DNA will continue. Noppasin said at a news conference that evidence and testimony from experts suggested the building plan did not meet standards and codes. The Bangkok Post newspaper said police had also determined the project showed "structural flaws in the core lift shaft and substandard concrete and steel.' Thai media have reported allegations of wrongdoing in the project almost every day since the building's collapse, many of them involving irregular documentation for the project. Their reports have highlighted the role of Italian-Thai's Chinese joint venture partner, the China Railway No. 10 company, which is involved in projects around the world. A Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the 17 on Thursday. Noppasin said 15 turned themselves in at a police station in the morning and the remaining two were expected to do so later Friday. The epicentre of the quake was in central Myanmar, where it killed more than 3,700 people and caused major damage in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city, and the capital Naypyidaw. Premchai's case is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of wildlife poaching and served about three years in prison. He was found guilty of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons after park rangers found a hunting party at a wildlife sanctuary in 2018 with carcasses of a rare black panther, a kalij pheasant and a barking deer. The panther had been butchered and its meat cooked for soup. - AP
Times of Oman
21-04-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Chinese executive of firm constructing collapsed high-rise in Bangkok arrested
Bangkok: Authorities in Thailand have arrested a Chinese executive of the construction company responsible for building an office building in Bangkok that collapsed during the March 28 earthquake, killing dozens of people, according to local media reports. Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) took into custody Zhang Chuanling, a Chinese national, on Saturday. He is one of four people wanted on arrest warrants for allegedly acting as nominees for the Thai-owned subsidiary of a Chinese construction firm, the Bangkok Post reported. The firm was building the 30-storey State Audit Office headquarters in Chatuchak district of Bangkok, which collapsed after an earthquake of magnitude that struck central Myanmar on March 28. A search is ongoing for the other three suspects, who are all Thai nationals, the report in the Bangkok Post added. On Saturday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said there were 103 victims from the collapse. Of them, nine were injured, 47 were confirmed dead, and 47 remain missing. As per a report in the Thai news outlet, The Nation, preliminary findings by of a joint investigation by the DSI and the Royal Thai Police. have revealed that three Thai nationals were used as proxy shareholders on behalf of foreign interests, violating Thailand's Foreign Business Act. "Financial records uncovered transactions exceeding 2 billion baht linked to loans involving Chinese executives. These financial arrangements paved the way for China Railway No.10 (Thailand) to secure a government contract via a joint venture, raising suspicions of illicit bidding practices," as per the report in The Nation. China Railway No.10 was part of a joint venture with an Italian-Thai firm to build the State Audit Office tower before its collapse. As per local media reports, officials are examining whether construction materials--specifically steel and cement--met industrial standards under the Industrial Product Standards Act. Investigators are reviewing design documents, project supervision records, and nine rounds of design modifications, some of which may involve forged signatures from engineers and supervisors.
Japan Times
21-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Exec linked to Bangkok building collapse arrested
Thai authorities said they have arrested a Chinese executive at a company building a Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed in a major earthquake, leaving dozens dead. The 30-story tower was reduced to an immense pile of rubble when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighboring Myanmar last month, killing 47 people at the construction site and leaving another 47 missing. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong told a news conference Saturday that a Thai court had issued arrest warrants for four individuals, including three Thai nationals, at China Railway No.10 for breaching the Foreign Business Act. The Department of Special Investigation, which is under the justice ministry, said in a statement Saturday that one of the four had been arrested — a Chinese "company representative" who they named as Zhang. China Railway No.10 was part of a joint venture with an Italian-Thai firm to build the State Audit Office tower before its collapse. Zhang is listed as a 49% shareholder in the firm, while the three Thai citizens have a 51% stake in the company. But Tawee told journalists that "we have evidence ... that the three Thais were holding shares for other foreign independents." The Foreign Business Act says that foreigners may hold no more than 49% of shares in a company. Separately, Tawee said several investigations related to the collapse were ongoing, including over the possibility of bid rigging and the use of fake signatures of engineers in construction supervisor contracts. Earlier this month, Thai safety officials said the testing of steel rebars — struts used to reinforce concrete — from the site has found that some of the metal used was substandard. The skyscraper was the only major building in the capital to fall in the catastrophic March 28 earthquake that has killed more than 3,700 people in Thailand and neighboring Myanmar.
Arab News
20-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Exec linked to Bangkok building collapse arrested
BANGKOK: Thai authorities said they have arrested a Chinese executive at a company that was building a Bangkok skyscraper which collapsed in a major earthquake, leaving dozens dead. The 30-story tower was reduced to an immense pile of rubble when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighboring Myanmar last month, killing 47 people at the construction site and leaving another 47 missing. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong told a news conference Saturday that a Thai court had issued arrest warrants for four individuals, including three Thai nationals, at China Railway No.10 for breaching the Foreign Business Act. The Department of Special Investigation, which is under the justice ministry, said in a statement Saturday that one of the four had been arrested — a Chinese 'company representative' who they named as Zhang. China Railway No.10 was part of a joint venture with an Italian-Thai firm to build the State Audit Office tower before its collapse. Zhang is listed as a 49-percent shareholder in the firm, while the three Thai citizens have a 51-percent stake in the company. But Tawee told journalists that 'we have evidence ... that the three Thais were holding shares for other foreign independents.' The Foreign Business Act says that foreigners may hold no more than 49 percent of shares in a company. Separately, Tawee said several investigations related to the collapse were ongoing, including over the possibility of bid rigging and the use of fake signatures of engineers in construction supervisor contracts. Earlier this month Thai safety officials said testing of steel rebars — struts used to reinforce concrete — from the site has found that some of the metal used was substandard. The skyscraper was the only major building in the capital to fall in the catastrophic March 28 earthquake that has killed more than 3,700 people in Thailand and neighboring Myanmar.
