The CREC is also the contractor in many other building projects for the Thai government, reports the Bangkok Post.
The DSI had enough evidence to suspect the use of nominees at the company, which by law should be at least 51% owned by Thais, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said yesterday (Apr 2).
The DSI would also look into whether construction materials used by the company complied with industrial standards and the quality of its work, he said.
The investigation would be expanded to other government building projects taken up by the Chinese company, and its Chinese engineers, the minister said.
CREC reportedly is also a member of other consortiums that contracted for many building projects in the government sector from 2019 to 2022.
The projects are:
- The new State Audit Office, costing B2.14 billion, which collapsed in Bangkok last Friday.
- The new passenger terminal at Narathiwat airport, cost B639 million.
- A housing project for 354 units in Phuket, cost B343mn.
- A new school building at Wat Amarintararam, cost B160mn, in Bangkok.
- A warehouse at Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, cost B146mn, in Bangkok.
- A dormitory at Phuket Rajabhat University in Phuket, cost B132mn.
- A provincial government complex in Phrae, cost B540mn
- Boxing camp for the Sports Authority of Thailand in Bangkok, cost B608mn.
- Residences for judicial officials of the Court of Appeal Region 9 in Songkhla, cost B386mn.
- Civil and criminal courts in Min Buri district of Bangkok, cost B782mn.
- A customer service centre for the Phuket electricity authority, cost B210mn.
- A command building at the Naval Ordnance Department in Bangkok, cost B179mn.
- A building for the Office of National Water Resources, cost B716mn.
- A Provincial Electricity Authority academy, cost B606mn.
- A new outpatient building at Songkhla Hospital, cost B426mn.
Yesterday, immigration police searched a house in Din Daeng district, Bangkok, they believed was used by the China Railway No.10 Engineering Co. They found two Chinese nationals and eight Thais and a Toyota vehicle registered to the company. It was sparsely furnished.
The ITD-CREC consortium which was building the State Audit Office declared yesterday that its construction materials did meet all standards, were thoroughly checked and were certified by a material acceptance committee before being transported to the construction site.
Procurement and building met requirements in the terms of reference for the project, relevant laws and engineering standards, the consortium statement said.
The Office of the Judiciary said yesterday that the two building projects and their construction for Court of Appeal Region 9 and the civil and criminal courts of Min Buri district met relevant standards.
Condolences
The Chinese embassy in Bangkok yesterday issued a statement responding to media inquiries about China Railway No.10 Engineering Group in the construction of the collapsed State Audit Office building.
“The Chinese government has constantly instructed companies running businesses overseas to strictly adhere to local laws and regulations, uphold social responsibilities and to contribute positively to society,’” the statement said.
The embassy also extended its condolences over the loss of life and injuries caused by the collapse of a building being constructed by a Chinese firm.
The Chinese government had sent a team of earthquake rescue experts and volunteers to support the Thai rescue operation and arranged for Chinese companies in Thailand to provide large cranes and other machinery to aid in the rescue effort, it said.
The embassy said China would continue providing full support as requested by the Thai government. It called on the Chinese company involved in the construction to fully cooperate with the investigation into the cause of the building’s collapse.
This came after Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang extended condolences to Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over the loss of lives and property caused by the earthquake.
Mr Li said he was confident that under the strong leadership of the Thai government, the Thai people would overcome this disaster and return to living normal lives.