The dormitory was built by Chinese contractor China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd ‒ the same Chinese company that was building the 33-storey State Audit Office high rise in Bangkok that collapsed following the Myanmar earthquake last Friday (Mar 28).
China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd is a local unit of China’s state-owned China Railway Group.
The seven-storey dormitory, built under a budget of B132.146 million, has been completed and is in the process of being inspected and accepted, DPT Phuket officials explained.
Ditthaphon Kaewmunichoke, the engineer supervising the construction of the building, said that construction of the student dormitory started in 2020 and was initially scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Mr Ditthaphon admitted that there “may have been some problems” during the construction.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contract deadline was exceeded and the delay has extended the completion of the building by almost two years. The company was also fined, he said.
However, Mr Ditthaphon assured that in the past both steel and cement construction materials used were inspected to ensure that they met the required standards.
At first, the DPT officials yesterday could not enter the building because the university had not yet given permission and had informed them that they would have to submit a letter to conduct the inspection, Mr Ditthaphon said.
Of note, in this inspection, officials were following national orders from Bangkok to inspect the condition of the building to see if its structure was strong and durable after the Myanmar earthquake rattled the capital last Friday.
After waiting for about half an hour, officials from Phuket Rajabhat University came to “negotiate” and lead the DPT officials of the inspection inside ‒ but the DPT officials were “asked” not to record any images inside the building.
From the initial inspection by the officials, no cracks or damage were found. The building is still in normal use, the DPT officials reported.
The inspection of the university dormitory yesterday followed cracks being plainly visible in the construction of the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) office in Ratsada ‒ with that building also under construction by China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd.
China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd has also been identified as the construction contractor for a 354-unit housing project under a budget of B343mn.
The Department of Special Investigation is probing shareholdings by suspected Thai nominees in China Railway No.10 Engineering Co (CREC), reports the Bangkok Post.
Regarding construction in Phuket, Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee said, “It is critical to examine how government funds are being used and whether the materials and structural integrity of these projects meet safety regulations.”