Dozens of migrant workers won’t be returning home for the Songkran holidays this year, after the 30-storey building they were constructing collapsed on March 28.
The high-rise toppled as the 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake hit Bangkok, trapping nearly 100 workers. Sixteen were killed in the collapse and nine injured, but 78 people were still believed to be trapped under the rubble as of Saturday (April 5).
Relatives of the missing have gathered at the site – meant to be the new headquarters of the State Audit Office, in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district – desperate for any news of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, those already notified that their family members were killed during the collapse are heartbroken. “I wanted my younger brother to return home early for Songkran, but not like this,” the sister of a victim said through tears.
Her brother, Noi Ticha, was operating a large crane on the top of the building when it came crashing down, the only high-rise in Thailand to collapse in a quake that has devastated large areas of central Myanmar.
Noi’s body was retrieved from the rubble and returned to his family in Nan on April 1.
Survivors grapple with aftermath
Survivors of the tragedy are struggling too, with many returning to the site every day to wait for news of their missing colleagues or family members.
The Mental Health Department has reached out to at least 271 survivors, including relatives of the victims and those traumatised by the disaster. Initial assessments show that 14 need immediate psychiatric help.
Stress and grief is taking a toll as hope of finding more survivors flickers out despite the efforts of rescue workers digging in the rubble.
“Four or five families have been camping in the area opposite the collapsed building since the incident,” said Sutthasinee Kaewleklai, manager of the Labour Rights Foundation.
She said that one of the group has not been able to sleep or eat after learning that his wife was still buried somewhere under the mountain of debris. Several of the project’s foremen are also struggling with the pain of losing their subordinates in the tragedy.
It takes a quake to reveal problems
The earthquake and its impact in Bangkok also exposed gaps in Thailand’s disaster-response systems. For instance, it took authorities several hours to provide information on quake damage, with many details not released until days later.
“When a disaster strikes, the government should issue warnings or provide information to give people peace of mind,” said Nantana Nantawaropas, a member of the Senate.
MP Phattarapong Leelaphat of the opposition People’s Party noted that over 1,000 warning towers have been set up across Thailand, yet not one issued a warning about the quake.
Thai law requires radio and television operators to broadcast disaster warnings issued by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, but nothing had come from the department either, he added.
Phattarapong said Thailand recently decided to adopt the cellphone message warning system that has proved to be effective in other countries. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department was granted 450 million baht in 2024 to develop the system.
However, a year later, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry was given 434 million baht to do the same job.
“So, instead of going ahead with the development of Thailand’s cell broadcast system, the department and the ministry are trying to work out who’s in charge,” the MP said.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has responded to public pressure by demanding quick answers on why the building collapsed.
However, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who chairs the fact-finding committee, has asked for a month to complete the investigation, saying the case is complex and time is needed to ensure fairness to all sides.
Both the State Audit Office (SAO) and the contractor it hired, meanwhile, have vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Italian-Thai Development-China Railway No 10 Engineering consortium won the contract to build the SAO headquarters for 21.3 billion baht.
The funds were approved in 2020 and construction began the following year. The building was originally due for completion by the end of 2023, but that date was postponed to 2026 due to delays during the Covid pandemic.
In a bid to meet the deadline, the consortium reportedly sub-contracted the project to more than 20 companies, which then hired independent workers.
Since many workers were hired on a freelance or casual basis, the families of those killed or missing may not be able to claim compensation.
No guaranteed cover
Two Myanmar workers who managed to escape the collapse said three of their co-workers had died in the accident and eight were missing. They produced documents belonging to their co-workers and have been seeking in vain to find out exactly what their families are meant to do.
“It will be tough for their wives to get compensation because it is mandatory to produce marriage certificates, and even tougher for their family members, who can’t travel from Myanmar to Thailand in the midst of the fighting there,” the survivors said.
In Myanmar, the earthquake killed more than 3,000 people across Mandalay, Naypyitaw and other central areas.
Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said families can claim about 1.7 million baht in compensation for a deceased relative, provided they have proper registration documents. “Undocumented migrants will have to get compensation from their employers, but we will help them with legal battles,” he said.
People’s Party MP Sia Jampathong urged the government to compensate all workers affected by the collapse, regardless of whether they have documentation or membership of a social security scheme. “Some rules should be relaxed when there are disasters of this scale,” he said.
Sutthasinee said the One Stop Service Center, which comprises representatives of all relevant authorities, should be ready to help affected workers, especially survivors who are now without a job and don’t know what to do next.
“Authorities should ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it, because some workers may have been hired on a part-time basis and their names may not be on the official registry,” she said, adding that information should be gathered from all sources.
