Allegedly Misappropriation, Thai Government Checks Collapsed Building Construction Due To Earthquake

JAKARTA - A 30-story building in Bangkok, Thailand, collapsed on Friday, March 30, 2025, due to an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 in Myanmar. The collapse of the building prompted the Thai government to conduct an inspection of its construction and plan to revise regulations regarding the construction of high-rise buildings in the country.

Quoted from the Associated Press (AP), the Thai government has started an investigation into the cause of one building that is still under construction. This is because the building is different from other buildings, which only suffered light after the earthquake.

An anti-corruption supervisory agency was ordered to investigate the construction. It is suspected that the contractor has misappropriated the construction process.

The building consists of 30 floors and belongs to the Thailand State Audit Office. The value of the construction is estimated at around 2.1 billion baths or equivalent to Rp. 10 trillion.

Construction of the building began in 2020. Development in collaboration with Italian Thai Development PCL and a local subsidiary of China Railway Group owned by China, as well as the China Railway Company Number 10 from Thailand.

The construction of the building is scheduled to be completed in 2026, but is predicted to be delayed from schedule. Deputy auditor general, Sutthipong Boonnithi, said that construction was only carried out about 30 percent before it collapsed due to the earthquake.

It was stated that in the construction process, it was found that this project often experienced delays, labor shortages, and possible misappropriation of the budget. In January 2025, the audit office also had threatened to cancel the construction project due to delays.

Sometimes the number of workers at the location is far less than it should be, causing delays. There is a possibility the project should be completed in a hurry towards the end, which could lead to a decline in the quality of work," Boonnithi explained, quoted on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Meanwhile, as a result of this incident, ITD's share price fell by 30 percent when the market opened today. The collapse of the building also caused heavy losses, 11 people were killed, and 76 others are still being searched.