A Thai-Chinese company has rejected claims that its steel bars failed safety tests after nationwide criticism prompted an investigation into the collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper under construction following an earthquake last month.
Authorities are investigating Xin Ke Yuan Steel and another Chinese contractor involved in the construction to determine what caused the collapse of the building, which collapsed after an earthquake centered in Myanmar more than 800 miles (1,200 km) away. It was the only building to completely collapse that day.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck on March 28 killed more than 3,700 people in Myanmar, killed 47 in Thailand, mostly at the collapse site, and left 47 missing.
The collapse raised questions about construction safety 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 are allowed to do business in Thailand, but it must be in the form of a joint venture with a Thai partner and they cannot own more than 49% to protect local competitiveness.
The Department of Special Investigations (Thailand's equivalent of the FBI) said three Thai shareholders in the company were also wanted on suspicion of acting as proxy buyers. They were also checking the quality of the building materials and investigating whether the company had conducted illegal bidding.
Last year, the company released a video 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, claiming his name and signature had been forged as a project controller on one of the building plans. He denied any involvement in the project.
Xin Ke Yuan Steel, also partly owned by Chinese nationals, has come under scrutiny over the quality of steel bars it supplied for buildings. Its operating license is currently suspended after a deadly fire at its plant in Rayong province in December.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
