PM orders committee to investigate the collapse of the SAO building

Regarding the collapse of the State Audit Office building during the earthquake on Friday, March 28, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her concerns during an inspection of the MRT system’s readiness on Saturday (March 29). 

She questioned why it was the only building that had issues. She assured the public that this matter would not be ignored, emphasizing the need to investigate the cause. She ordered the formation of a committee of experts to look into the issue, with a report expected next week. 

The Prime Minister provided a timeline and gave clear instructions for the committee to thoroughly review the building’s construction, including who approved the plans and how the structure was approved. She noted that while there are many buildings under construction, this was not the first of its kind in the country, so the investigation was necessary.

Following this, Pongnara Yenying, Director-General of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, met with the Prime Minister to provide an update. He explained that an investigation would begin immediately, with a committee being formed to work alongside the Engineering Institute of Thailand to determine what exactly happened.

The Prime Minister told the press that the earthquake, which measured 7.7 in magnitude, caused no issues for most buildings, except for one. The government will set up a committee with experts to investigate what happened with that particular building, from construction to design. She emphasized the importance of understanding whether the building would have posed a risk had it been fully occupied, as there could have been thousands of people inside. While she has experience with building construction, she had never encountered a situation like this and insisted on investigating what went wrong.

Regarding the inspection of other buildings and procurement processes, the Prime Minister mentioned that the law already requires all buildings in Bangkok to be designed to withstand earthquakes to a certain degree. She noted that the earthquake had no significant impact on most buildings, except for some issues with elevators and building vibrations. Experts have confirmed that the buildings can withstand a certain level of seismic activity.

When asked which agency would be held responsible, the Prime Minister stated that the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is currently in charge of the investigation. A meeting was held earlier in the morning, and by the end of next week, the committee will convene again to provide a report on what happened. She reassured that, with experts involved, answers would be forthcoming.

Later, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul took the Prime Minister on a tour of buildings under construction around Lumpini Park.