One year after the State Audit Office (SAO)’s under-construction headquarters collapsed in a heap of twisted steel, the gaping hole in Bangkok’s skyline is matched only by an accountability void following the tragedy.
Despite the loss of almost 100 lives and over 2 billion baht in public funds, not a single state official has faced punishment over the deadliest construction collapse in Thailand’s history.
Neither have new safety guidelines been issued to prevent a recurrence of the murky deals and shoddy construction exposed when the 33-floor building became the only high-rise in Thailand to topple during Myanmar’s March 28 earthquake.
So far, 23 private companies and their executives have been charged with failing to ensure safety in design, construction and supervision – alleged negligence that killed 96 workers and left nine others critically injured.
The building, destined to be a landmark in Chatuchak district, crumbled almost instantly when tremors from the 7.7-magnitude quake reached the capital. Other towers under construction in Bangkok withstood the shaking.
Money won’t replace missing loved ones
For the bereaved families, financial compensation is a hollow substitute for loved ones claimed by the tragedy.
Paew Yuennan, who lost her 17-year-old son in the collapse, said the 3 million baht she received from the government and the construction firm has done nothing to ease her grief.
“It’s not enough. All I want is for my son to be alive and well,” said Paew, who lives in Nakhon Phanom in northeastern Thailand.
She said her son had decided to work during his summer break to earn extra cash for the family, only to lose his life in a building that should have been safe.
“Despite my overwhelming loss, the SAO has never contacted me to say sorry,” she added.
A similar story of heartbreak is shared by the family of 33-year-old welder Boonrod Otatawong.
He was earning just 3,000 baht per month to support his elderly mother, bedridden father and three siblings when the building collapsed around him.
His mother received around 2.8 million baht in compensation – 25,000 baht from his employer, 300,000 baht from the government, 1 million baht from the construction company and 1.5 million baht from the Social Security Office. From the SAO itself, she received just 10,000 baht.
“The money is fine, but it can never replace the feeling of having him by our side,” she said.
Families of the 96 people who lost their lives - not just from Thailand but also from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos - have all received compensation thanks to help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand and relevant authorities.
Those injured in the collapse received payments of 200,000 baht from Italian-Thai Development Co and China Railway No 10 (Thailand) – the joint venture that won the 2.1-billion-baht SAO construction contract. The two companies say they have paid out 97.8 million baht in compensation.
Latest SAO report
On March 20, the SAO released a report confirming that the collapse was caused by “seismic shear” from the earthquake.
The finding, which echoed a government report last June, also cited independent tests that revealed substandard concrete walls and insufficient steel reinforcement.
Investigations found that the building’s design failed to meet legal requirements, significantly weakening the structure.
The SAO is suing 23 defendants, including Ital-Thai chairman Premchai Karnasuta, alleging collusion in the contract bidding and other irregularities.
Evidence also suggests that China Railway No 10 (Thailand) may have used illegal nominees to operate in Thailand.
About 70 state officials are being investigated for alleged bidding corruption by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
However, one year on from the collapse, the government has yet to release the names of the accused or take legal action against any official.
Warnings of repeat disaster
Suppaut Bosuwan, managing director of HAND Social Enterprise, a corruption watchdog, said the collapse of the SAO building reflected government failures on several fronts.
“While the quake was unavoidable, this tragedy was not,” Suppaut said. He noted that while the legal investigation has focused on the private sector, no government official has stepped forward to take responsibility. And neither had safety been tightened.
“No policies or guidelines have been passed to assure the public that such a disaster cannot happen again,” he said. He warned that failure to learn lessons from the SAO collapse would leave other buildings vulnerable when the next earthquake hits.
Rakpa Onsuvan, also from HAND, urged authorities to implement measures to prevent a recurrence of the deadly construction failure.
“For instance, the government could promote integrity pacts and oversight by specialists right from the preparation of the terms of reference," he said.
Suppaut said the government should also hire external specialists to inspect all large construction projects, adding that civil servants may lack the specialised knowledge required for such high-stakes oversight.
“When you buy a house or condo, you hire an engineer to inspect it for you. We should do the same for government projects,” he said.
Signs of progress?
Prof Dr Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association and an engineering lecturer at Kasetsart University, noted some positive shifts.
“Construction companies have been paying more attention to engineering systems, design and material selection” since the collapse, he said.
He added that project owners are now more likely to heed the advice of structural engineers rather than prioritising cost-cutting.
However, he has doubts that this attitude of extra vigilance will persist.
“I’m not sure if this momentum will last or fade over time,” Amorn warned, calling on the government to enforce “blind checks” for high-rise buildings and construction sites to ensure safety and transparency.
“We need proper checks, not just ceremonial rituals or signatures,” he said.
