DSI denies acting too late to seize evidence at collapsed building site

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Monday denied allegations that it acted too slowly in seizing documentary evidence at the construction site of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building.

In a statement issued on Monday, the DSI acknowledged public criticism over its perceived delay in dispatching officials to seize documents from the construction contractors' office at the collapse site on 18 April.

The new SAO office building was being constructed by a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development and China Railway No.10 (Thailand).

The DSI explained that it did not send officials to seize the documents immediately after the building collapsed on 28 March because priority had to be given to rescue operations.

Furthermore, the area had been sealed off and placed under the watch of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials and military personnel. Under such close supervision, the DSI stated, there was no concern that the documents could be tampered with or removed, as no one was permitted access to the site.

Once the urgency of the rescue operations had subsided, the DSI began working with other agencies—including the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, the Thai Industrial Standards Institute, and the Office of Police Forensic Science—to collect material evidence at the scene in parallel with the ongoing operation to remove the building wreckage.

The DSI also consulted engineers from the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning regarding the documents left at the contractors’ site office. Following their advice, the DSI dispatched officials to retrieve the documents on 18 April, the statement added.

It further noted that any action had to be taken with caution due to the complex circumstances.

To date, the DSI has arrested Chuanling Zhang, director of China Railway No.10, and is still searching for three Thai nationals who allegedly acted as nominees for the Chinese firm.