ITD executive testifies to DSI on collapsed SAO building in Bangkok
Officials seek to determine which company was the actual operational lead—ITD or the Chinese partner.
Kriengsak Kovahana, Executive Vice President of Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD), appeared Tuesday morning at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) headquarters to testify in an inquiry regarding the firm’s joint venture with China Railway No. 10 (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in the construction of the new office building for the State Audit Office (SAO).
The 30-storey building under construction in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district collapsed on March 28 following the impact of an 8.2-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar, trapping over a hundred workers inside.
The inquiry took place at the Procurement Collusion Crime Division on the 7th floor of the Government Complex Building A on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok. It was led by Pol. Capt. Surawut Rangsai, Deputy Director-General of the DSI, and Pol. Lt. Col. Amorn Hongsritong, Director of the division.
Investigators reportedly questioned Kriengsak on the specifics of the joint venture agreement—particularly the 49% stake held by Chinese nationals in China Railway No. 10, a company with no previous construction record in Thailand. Questions focused on how responsibilities were divided within the project and whether additional contracts existed between the two firms. Officials also sought to determine which company was the actual operational lead—ITD or the Chinese partner.
Ahead of the meeting, Amorn noted that the inquiry included two sessions: one for questioning ten engineers and another for the ITD representative. As of that morning, only one engineer had reported for questioning.
When asked by reporters whether he was aware that China Railway No. 10 was a Chinese-owned company, Kriengsak firmly responded, “Of course, I was aware,” adding that he is fully prepared to cooperate and provide clarification.
Sources further revealed that this was not the first collaboration between the two companies. Investigative findings show that Italian-Thai and China Railway No. 10 had previously partnered on a major government project in central Bangkok—undermining claims that ITD was unaware of the company’s Chinese ownership.
