BMA acts against 4 Chinese for removing documents from SAO building

Pol Maj Gen Nopasin Poolswat, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, disclosed that on Saturday, March 29, 2025, four Chinese nationals were apprehended for illegally removing 32 files of documents from the rear of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building, without permission.

Currently, the Governor of Bangkok has declared the area a disaster zone, thereby designating it as a restricted area where no one is allowed to enter without authorization.

Upon receiving reports from the public about a group of four individuals seen removing documents from the site, the police coordinated with the relevant authorities to track down the suspects.

The authorities eventually located one of the Chinese men near the incident site. He claimed to be the project manager for a building construction project. After questioning and reviewing his personal documents, it was confirmed that he had a valid work permit and that his group was employed by a joint venture with Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, the contractor for the building under construction.

After locating all four suspects and reviewing the 32 documents, which included various types of paperwork, the police confiscated the documents for further investigation.

According to initial questioning, the four Chinese individuals stated that they entered the area to retrieve the documents for an insurance claim. These documents were stored in a container being used as a temporary office by the company.

The four individuals were subcontractors working for a contractor under Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited.

After completing the questioning, the police temporarily released the suspects.

On Sunday, March 30, at 3pm, a lawyer from the Chatuchak District Office filed a complaint against the five Chinese nationals for violating the public announcement by entering the building site and removing blueprints and other documents from the collapsed SAO building.

As a result, the police will proceed with legal action against the four individuals. The fifth individual, their employer, is under investigation, and further actions will follow.

The charges involve unauthorized entry into the restricted area, which carries a penalty of up to 3 months in prison, a fine of up to 6,000 baht, or both.

The police are also examining the seized documents to determine if they are connected to the building's collapse and will be questioning all relevant parties as part of the ongoing investigation.