Premchai Karnasuta, a prominent Thai business tycoon and chairman of Italian-Thai Development Plc, is now among 17 individuals wanted by authorities following the deadly collapse of a skyscraper in Bangkok. A Thai court has released arrest warrants tied to the deaths caused by a huge March earthquake. The court is moving in the wake of the tragedy. This incident has generated deep skepticism over the country’s building safety regulations.
A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the bordering country of Myanmar, shaking the region. Amidst this turmoil, the 30-story State Audit Office tower was still being constructed when it collapsed. Search teams established a significant, six-week operation sifting through the rubble to recover 89 bodies. Tragically, seven people are still missing, adding to the urgency of this developing story.
Premchai Karnasuta, the recently resigned president of construction giant Italian-Thai Development Plc, now finds himself at the centre of this investigation. His participation has already generated a great deal of interest. Earlier this week, authorities named him a central play in the tower’s construction. He worked in concert with executives and chief engineers from each of the seven companies that were instrumental in its design and construction oversight. Their charges involve felony building code violations. These violations are said to have directly contributed to 13 deaths each and can carry punishment up to life sentences.
The MThai Thai police have vowed to track Karnasuta down, but attempts to reach him for comment Thursday were unsuccessful. His past caught up with him. He has a history of legal issues. In 2021, Wang was convicted and sentenced to more than three years in prison for poaching two protected species. State rangers apprehended him at a campsite set within a municipal wildlife sanctuary. Once there, they discovered the carcasses of lost endangered animals, including that of an extremely rare black Indochinese leopard.
The impacts of this tragedy go beyond just legal accountability. It raises serious questions about construction practices and regulatory compliance in Thailand, particularly given the scale of the disaster and the loss of life. As this investigation continues and the various actors behind this catastrophe are held to account, the public will no doubt continue to wait with bated breath.
