4 Chinese nationals given suspended jail term, 3,000-baht fine

Four Chinese employees of China Railway No.10 Engineering Group have been given a one-month suspended jail sentence and fined 3,000 baht each after a Bangkok court convicted them of entering the compound of a collapsed building without permission.

Court Conviction and Sentencing

The four individuals – Jiang Xiangming, Wen Bo Nan, Xiao Wei Liu, and Ye Jin – were arraigned in Bangkok District Court on Tuesday, where they pleaded guilty to the charges.

The incident occurred on Friday, 29 March, when the new office building of the State Audit Office, which was under construction in Chatuchak district, collapsed. The compound was immediately sealed off and declared a disaster zone, restricting entry without official permission from the authorities in charge of disaster management.

Despite this, the four entered the restricted area. The building was a joint construction project between the Chinese firm and Italian-Thai Development.

Illegal Entry and Arrest

After fleeing the scene with 32 documents from an office behind the collapsed building, the four were later arrested by police. They claimed they had retrieved the documents to prepare insurance compensation claims.

Legal Charges and Ruling

The court found them guilty of violating Articles 21 (2), 36, 37, and 49 of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act BE 2550, as well as Article 83 of the Criminal Code.

Initially, the court sentenced each defendant to two months’ imprisonment and a fine of 6,000 baht. However, since the four pleaded guilty, the court reduced their sentences by half, imposing a one-month jail term and a fine of 3,000 baht each.

As none of the four had any prior criminal record, the court suspended their jail terms and placed them on one year of probation.