BANGKOK — The president of Italian-Thai Development (ITD), Premchai Karnasuta, along with 14 other individuals, has been ordered into custody without bail in connection with the fatal collapse of Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO) building. The decision was issued on May 16 by the Criminal Court, which approved a 12-day remand while investigations continue.
The individuals detained include directors and engineers from various construction firms involved in the planning, building, and oversight of the SAO facility, which collapsed on March 28 following a powerful earthquake in neighboring Myanmar. The disaster left 89 people dead, nine injured, and 11 still missing.
In total, 17 professionals have been formally charged, including a senior executive from China Railway No. 10 (Thailand), a key partner in the joint venture responsible for the SAO project. Prosecutors allege that the companies involved failed to comply with safety standards and construction regulations, leading to the building’s structural failure.
The firms implicated in the case are ITD, China Railway No. 10, Forum Architect, Meinhardt (Thailand) Company, KP Consultants and Management, and V and Sahai Consultants. All face charges of professional negligence related to design, construction, and supervision practices.
The group appeared before the court on Friday, and their bail applications were unanimously denied. The officials and engineering personnel remanded include several prominent figures in Thailand’s construction and infrastructure sector.
