Thai Authorities Arrest Chinese Executive Linked to Bangkok Skyscraper Collapse

Thai authorities have arrested Zhang Chuanling, a Chinese executive of China Railway No.10 (Thailand), following the collapse of a 30-storey State Audit Office tower in Bangkok during the March 28 earthquake, which killed at least 47 people and left 47 missing. Zhang, along with three Thai nationals who remain at large, faces charges of violating the Foreign Business Act by allegedly using Thai citizens as proxy shareholders to circumvent the law restricting foreign ownership to 49 percent. Investigators uncovered evidence of financial transactions exceeding 2 billion baht linked to Chinese executives, raising suspicions of illicit bidding practices. Authorities are also probing the use of substandard construction materials and possible bid rigging related to the project. The joint venture between China Railway No.10 and an Italian-Thai firm is under scrutiny as further investigations continue into multiple aspects of the collapse. The disaster marked the only major building collapse in Bangkok during the quake, which caused thousands of deaths across Thailand and Myanmar.