Chinese executive of firm constructing collapsed high-rise in Bangkok arrested

Bangkok (Thailand), April 20 (ANI): 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. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)