Latest news with #Italian-ThaiDevelopment
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Prosecutors in Thailand issue indictments for dozens in deadly building collapse
Rescuers work at the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok on March 31. (AP Photo) BANGKOK--State prosecutors in Thailand have formally indicted 23 individuals and companies on charges related to the collapse of a Bangkok office building that collapsed after an earthquake, killing at least 92 people. The partially built high-rise, which was to house the new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to completely collapse on March 28 due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was centered in neighboring Myanmar. Those indicted include the lead contractors for the project: Italian-Thai Development Co. and its Chinese joint venture partner for the project, the China Railway No. 10 company. Italian-Thai Development's president, Premchai Karnasuta, and China Railway No. 10's local director, Zhang Chuanling, were also indicted along with others, including designers, engineers and several other companies. The charges in the various indictments include professional negligence in design, supervision, or construction practices that failed to comply with engineering standards, resulting in danger to others and causing deaths, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General. Additional charges include forgery and use of forged documents. Several of those indicted Thursday had already surrendered to police and denied any wrongdoing. An investigation by police and other officials found design and structural flaws were behind the building's collapse and that some of the officially approved designs were not implemented. 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 in the capital Naypyitaw. The indictment of Italian-Thai Development's Premchai is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons while hunting in a wildlife sanctuary for which he served about three years in prison.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
23 indicted over tower's collapse in earthquake
Prosecutors have indicted 23 people and companies in a case linked to the deadly collapse of a Bangkok high-rise in an earthquake. The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, killing thousands in Thailand's wartorn neighbour. 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 yesterday. 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 (RM26,113). 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 behaviour. According to public filings with the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Premchai owns nearly 12% of ITD's shares. He was taken into pre-trial detention in May. — AFP
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Prosecutors in Thailand issue indictments for dozens in deadly building collapse
BANGKOK (AP) — State prosecutors in Thailand have formally indicted 23 individuals and companies on charges related to the collapse of a Bangkok office building that collapsed after an earthquake, killing at least 92 people. The partially built high-rise, which was to house the new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to completely collapse on March 28 due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was centered in neighboring Myanmar. Those indicted include the lead contractors for the project: Italian-Thai Development Co. and its Chinese joint venture partner for the project, the China Railway No. 10 company. Italian-Thai Development's president, Premchai Karnasuta, and China Railway No. 10's local director, Zhang Chuanling, were also indicted along with others, including designers, engineers and several other companies. The charges in the various indictments include professional negligence in design, supervision, or construction practices that failed to comply with engineering standards, resulting in danger to others and causing deaths, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General. Additional charges include forgery and use of forged documents. Several of those indicted Thursday had already surrendered to police and denied any wrongdoing. An investigation by police and other officials found design and structural flaws were behind the building's collapse and that some of the officially approved designs were not implemented. 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 in the capital Naypyitaw. The indictment of Italian-Thai Development's Premchai is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons while hunting in a wildlife sanctuary for which he served about three years in prison.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Prosecutors in Thailand issue indictments for dozens in deadly building collapse
BANGKOK (AP) — State prosecutors in Thailand have formally indicted 23 individuals and companies on charges related to the collapse of a Bangkok office building that collapsed after an earthquake, killing at least 92 people. The partially built high-rise, which was to house the new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to completely collapse on March 28 due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was centered in neighboring Myanmar. Those indicted include the lead contractors for the project: Italian-Thai Development Co. and its Chinese joint venture partner for the project, the China Railway No. 10 company. Italian-Thai Development's president, Premchai Karnasuta, and China Railway No. 10's local director, Zhang Chuanling, were also indicted along with others, including designers, engineers and several other companies. The charges in the various indictments include professional negligence in design, supervision, or construction practices that failed to comply with engineering standards, resulting in danger to others and causing deaths, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General. Additional charges include forgery and use of forged documents. Several of those indicted Thursday had already surrendered to police and denied any wrongdoing. An investigation by police and other officials found design and structural flaws were behind the building's collapse and that some of the officially approved designs were not implemented. 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 in the capital Naypyitaw. The indictment of Italian-Thai Development's Premchai is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons while hunting in a wildlife sanctuary for which he served about three years in prison.
3 days ago
Prosecutors in Thailand issue indictments for dozens in deadly building collapse
BANGKOK -- State prosecutors in Thailand have formally indicted 23 individuals and companies on charges related to the collapse of a Bangkok office building that collapsed after an earthquake, killing at least 92 people. The partially built high-rise, which was to house the new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to completely collapse on March 28 due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was centered in neighboring Myanmar. Those indicted include the lead contractors for the project: Italian-Thai Development Co. and its Chinese joint venture partner for the project, the China Railway No. 10 company. Italian-Thai Development's president, Premchai Karnasuta, and China Railway No. 10's local director, Zhang Chuanling, were also indicted along with others, including designers, engineers and several other companies. The charges in the various indictments include professional negligence in design, supervision, or construction practices that failed to comply with engineering standards, resulting in danger to others and causing deaths, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General. Additional charges include forgery and use of forged documents. Several of those indicted Thursday had already surrendered to police and denied any wrongdoing. An investigation by police and other officials found design and structural flaws were behind the building's collapse and that some of the officially approved designs were not implemented. 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 in the capital Naypyitaw. The indictment of Italian-Thai Development's Premchai is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons while hunting in a wildlife sanctuary for which he served about three years in prison.
