A Thai-Chinese company denied on Monday allegations its steel rods did not pass safety standard tests after nationwide criticism prompted an investigation into the collapse of a high-rise building under construction after an earthquake last month in Bangkok.
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Authorities are probing Xin Ke Yuan Steel and another Chinese contractor involved in the construction to find out why the building crumbled following a quake centred in Myanmar, more than 1,200km (800 miles) away. It was the only building that completely collapsed that day.
The 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 killed more than 3,700 in Myanmar, while in Thailand, 47 were killed, mostly at the collapse site, and 47 others went missing.
The collapse sparked questions about the enforcement of construction safety and the state-run Chinese contractor, China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group, leading to the arrest on Saturday of its Chinese executive in Thailand, identified by the surname Zhang, on suspicion of operating the business through the use of nominees.
Foreigners can operate a business in Thailand, but it must be a joint venture with a Thai partner, and they cannot own more than 49 per cent to protect local competitiveness.
Three Thai shareholders of the company are also wanted on suspicion of being the nominees, said officials of the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI. They also said they were looking into the quality of the construction material and whether the company illegally fixed its bidding.
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