A Thai-Chinese company has denied allegations that its steel bars did not meet safety standards after nationwide criticism led to an investigation into the collapse of a skyscraper under construction following last month's Bangkok earthquake.
Authorities are investigating Xin Ke Yuan Steel and another Chinese contractor involved in the construction to determine what caused the building to collapse after the quake, which was centered in Myanmar more than 800 miles (1,200 km) away. It was the only building to completely collapse that day.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on March 28 killed more than 3,700 people in Myanmar and 47 in Thailand, most of whom were at the site of the collapse, with 47 people still missing.
The collapse raised questions about safety at the construction site and the operations of state-owned Chinese contractor China Railway No 10 Engineering Group, leading to the arrest on Saturday of its Chinese boss, identified only as Zhang, on suspicion of running a business through proxies.
Foreigners can do business in Thailand, but it must be a joint venture with a Thai partner and they cannot own more than 49% to protect local competitiveness.
Three Thai shareholders in the company are also wanted on suspicion of being proxy buyers, according to the Department of Special Investigations (Thailand's equivalent of the FBI). They are also checking the quality of the building materials and whether the company has recorded any illegal bids.
Last year, the company posted a video online promoting the building that would become the new headquarters of the National Audit Office, featuring plenty of drone footage and positive comments about the quality of the design, construction and management of the project.
Last week, a Thai engineer filed a complaint with police alleging his name and signature were forged as a project controller on one of the building plans. He denied any connection to the project.
Xin Ke Yuan Steel, also partly owned by Chinese nationals, has come under scrutiny over the quality of steel bars it supplied to construction projects. Its operating license is currently suspended after a deadly fire in December at its plant in Rayong province.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
