Crime Tycoon Premchai and 16 Others Face Arrest Over Deadly Bangkok Building Collapse

[StandardIssue]

6 hours ago, Zaphod Priest said:

From Khaosod English on Facebook:
 

 

 

So, in other words. The building went from a vertical structure to a pile of ruble horizontal.

[Issanraider]

He Looks a bit like Mr Creosote from Monty Python 😂

[off road pat]

6 hours ago, NE1 said:

 

I wonder how many more they have built with the same low grade materials ?

As far as I know, all the new train stations in the south !!

[off road pat]

7 hours ago, petermik said:

They should lock him up and throw away the key...but with his money and contacts I cannot see it happening unfortunately.

You forgot that he went to jail for shooting a black panther and other protected species in a national park !!! His money and connections, could not stop this ! (He probably got a much lower sentence than just a normal Somtchai.) !

[Flemo]

Have a look at him..WTF ??

Nothing nice or honest about this man.

[anchadian]

Don't forget my wheelchair.

 

Arriving this morning to report.

 

 

[sambum]

If the 16 others are all built to the same specifications as this guy, no wonder the building collapsed! 🙂 

 

[Gobbler]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

professional negligence

 

I never knew that to be professionally negligent was a thing. 

[Gobbler]

28 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Don't forget my wheelchair.

 

Arriving this morning to report.

 

 

I wanted to see how they get him up the stairs. I can't walk up steps easily or safely, and none of these bastards ever thought to install a handrail. 

[Gobbler]

24 minutes ago, sambum said:

If the 16 others are all built to the same specifications as this guy, no wonder the building collapsed! 🙂 

 

 

He is standing, isn't he? I'm surprised he didn't learn from the NYC mafia; if he did, he would have been delivered wearing a bathrobe. 

 

[jacnl2000]

How to Fit a Titan into a Toy?

 

In a satirical light, comparing Premchai to Mr. Creosote isn’t too far-fetched—it’s a sharp jab at unchecked appetite, whether for foie gras or forbidden game. The figure in following cartoon resembles Mr. Creosote, but his entourage clearly echoes our dear friend Premchai. The whole sketch isn't just a grotesque satire on overindulgence and excess—classic Monty Python style: shocking, hilarious, and deliberately revolting—but also a twisted commentary on the construction process of fitting someone like him into a Bugatti. It's less about engineering and more about entitlement in high-vis vests, where concrete plans and legal loopholes are poured just to make the impossible comfortably possible:

 

[Gobbler]

3 minutes ago, jacnl2000 said:

 

 

 

Did anyone notice the monkey tail on the uniformed one?

[dinsdale]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

professional negligence causing death per sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code.

What about government corruption. Bigger heads than this one (pun both intended and not) need to roll.

[newbee2022]

Watching his face I'm surprised he didn't burst already. Looking like a pig.

[fgmr]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Picture courtesy of Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK - Premchai Karnasuta, the famed construction magnate, finds himself engulfed in legal turmoil once more, as the Criminal Court green-lights arrest warrants for him and 16 others.

 

Central to this controversy is the dramatic collapse of the 2.1-billion-baht State Audit Office building in Bangkok, a casualty of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that shook central Myanmar on March 28. This tragic event left 92 dead, nine injured, and four unaccounted for.

 

The charges, which cast a shadow over Premchai, 71, and his fellow suspects, relate to professional negligence causing death per sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code.

 

Amongst those facing scrutiny are engineers, supervisors, and contractors from a trinity of organisations: design firms such as Forum Architect and Meinhardt Thailand, construction supervisory firms, and the ITD-CREC joint venture boasting notable names like Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No.10 Thailand.

 

Alarm bells rang for investigators, revealing the building's design as non-compliant with vital safety standards. Structural defects in the core lift shaft coupled with substandard materials like concrete and steel sealed the building's fate.

 

Leading this meticulous probe, Pol Maj Gen Somkhuan Phuengsap, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, advocated for these latest judicial moves on Tuesday.

 

Premchai is no stranger to courtrooms, having been previously sentenced by the Supreme Court in December 2021 to a three-year-two-month prison stint for illegal hunting activities in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary dating back to February 2018.

 

Now, his past crimes stand juxtaposed against this new headline-grabbing predicament, revealing the magnitude of his legal woes.

 

This wave of actions signifies a stern reminder of liability within the construction industry, triggering a closer look at safety protocols and professional integrity. The unfolding drama demands answers, with an emphasis on justice for the lives tragically lost.

 

As authorities unravel this complex web, the implications could resonate far and wide, warranting a review of the construction industry's safeguarding measures in Bangkok.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-05-16

 

 

What are the odds that he ill still be free  regardless.

[kingstonkid]

10 hours ago, JoePai said:

Seeing how fat he is a few years behind bars would do him well

Maybe he can get the same deal as Thaksin

 

One thing for sure he and his company are going to be ont he hook for major money in lawsuits

[sikishrory]

[Sydebolle]

Aha, so Premchai is out of prison for his little midnight activity in a National park hunting black panthers. By the looks, the catering in prison must have been quite acceptable; just make sure that the guy does not explode one day 8-) 

[Jack Hammer]

Pemchai has more chins than a Chinese telephone book

[jesimps]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Picture courtesy of Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK - Premchai Karnasuta, the famed construction magnate, finds himself engulfed in legal turmoil once more, as the Criminal Court green-lights arrest warrants for him and 16 others.

 

Central to this controversy is the dramatic collapse of the 2.1-billion-baht State Audit Office building in Bangkok, a casualty of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that shook central Myanmar on March 28. This tragic event left 92 dead, nine injured, and four unaccounted for.

 

The charges, which cast a shadow over Premchai, 71, and his fellow suspects, relate to professional negligence causing death per sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code.

 

Amongst those facing scrutiny are engineers, supervisors, and contractors from a trinity of organisations: design firms such as Forum Architect and Meinhardt Thailand, construction supervisory firms, and the ITD-CREC joint venture boasting notable names like Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No.10 Thailand.

 

Alarm bells rang for investigators, revealing the building's design as non-compliant with vital safety standards. Structural defects in the core lift shaft coupled with substandard materials like concrete and steel sealed the building's fate.

 

Leading this meticulous probe, Pol Maj Gen Somkhuan Phuengsap, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, advocated for these latest judicial moves on Tuesday.

 

Premchai is no stranger to courtrooms, having been previously sentenced by the Supreme Court in December 2021 to a three-year-two-month prison stint for illegal hunting activities in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary dating back to February 2018.

 

Now, his past crimes stand juxtaposed against this new headline-grabbing predicament, revealing the magnitude of his legal woes.

 

This wave of actions signifies a stern reminder of liability within the construction industry, triggering a closer look at safety protocols and professional integrity. The unfolding drama demands answers, with an emphasis on justice for the lives tragically lost.

 

As authorities unravel this complex web, the implications could resonate far and wide, warranting a review of the construction industry's safeguarding measures in Bangkok.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-05-16

 

 

Crikey! He's been getting stuck into the pies. 

[Lapun]

8 hours ago, mfd101 said:

And how much time did he spend in jail?

According to this . . . .

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thai-tycoon-premchai-sentenced-to-6-more-months-in-jail-for-having-firearms-at-home/

 

. . . he spent a bit of time in jail with possibly much more to come.

[Classic Ray]

The substandard materials are one thing, but designing the lift shaft on the edge instead of at the centre was a really stupid act.

[Patong2021]

8 hours ago, ronster said:

The leopard got it's revenge using karma 🙏🙄

 The  Myanamar  construction workers and  families disagree.

[Patong2021]

5 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

The substandard materials are one thing, but designing the lift shaft on the edge instead of at the centre was a really stupid act.

 

Lots of responsibility and blame to share. The ultimate responsible party is the  project principal who is named above.  The project  design was the responsibility of the  principal's design engineer and architect. Allowing the design to proceed was the fault of the supervising construction engineer. The failure to inspect the location and the  failure to vet the design rests with the  government. The major tenants who signed leases should have reviewed the new building plan and if they did, their engineers share some responsibility for not questioning the design.

[greeneking]

10 hours ago, off road pat said:

You forgot that he went to jail for shooting a black panther and other protected species in a national park !!! His money and connections, could not stop this ! (He probably got a much lower sentence than just a normal Somtchai.) !

Does anyone have a clear answer?  Did he go to jail?  How long was he there for?

[Selatan]

18 hours ago, NE1 said:

 

I wonder how many more they have built with the same low grade materials ?

If low grade materials were used, the project supervisor, in this case, a consortium of 3 firms, has to bear responsibility because they were supposed to certify material quality testing. The project supervisor is not paid tens of millions of baht for doing nothing.