Collapsed Bangkok tower contractor arraigned

Public prosecutors on Thursday arraigned China Railway No.10 (Thailand) Co, its Chinese director and three Thais on charges of illegally operating a construction business in Thailand.

The company is a part of the joint venture with SET-listed Italian-Thai Development Plc that was contracted to build the State Audit Office which collapsed in late March, killing 89 people and leaving seven others missing.

The company, director Zhang Chuanling and shareholders Manas Sri-anan, Prachuap Sirikhet and Sophon Meechai face charges of operating a construction business that the law reserves for Thais, said Sakkasem Nisaiyok, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General.

Mr Zhang and the three Thais were listed as the shareholders of the company. Mr Zhang holds 49% of the shares in China Railway No.10 (Thailand), and the Thais 51% in total, as required by law.

Earlier Mr Zhang denied allegations that he used Thai nominee shareholders to fulfil the legal requirement while actually controlling the company himself.

The company formed the ITD-CREC consortium with Italian-Thai to win the 2.1-billion-baht contract to build the new 30-storey home of the State Audit Office on land in Chatuchak district of Bangkok.

The tower collapsed on March 28 when tremors from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar reached the Thai capital.

Public prosecutors also wanted to arraign another Chinese executive, Wu Bing Lin, in the same case but he remains at large.

Searches at the collapse site concluded early last month with the death toll standing at 89, nine people injured people and seven missing.

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