President of Italian-Thai Development Co Premchai Karnasuta, on a wheelchair, leaves the Bang Sue police station to a criminal court for a pre-trail detention in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

 

In a dramatic turn of events, the Ratchada Criminal Court on May 16 denied bail and ordered the detention of Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, along with 14 others.

 

These individuals are implicated in the catastrophic collapse of the State Audit building in Bangkok, which occurred during the March 28 earthquake. Although the tragedy claimed the lives of around 92 people, the gravity of the incident extends beyond the casualty figures, sending ripples of fear and concern through the public.

 

The court cited the likelihood of the defendants fleeing as the primary reason for denying their bail plea. Furthermore, it advised that the Thai police still need to question 15 more witnesses as part of an ongoing investigation. Italian-Thai Development Plc, the main contractor of the ill-fated building, now finds itself in the spotlight along with its top executives, designers, and engineers.

 

Of the 17 charged, two suspects successfully postponed their surrender for documentation reasons, set to resolve by May 19. During transport, Premchai was given special arrangements due to his health condition.

 

While the other detainees travelled to court in a van, Premchai was transported separately in a pickup truck, owing to his need for a wheelchair and urinary catheter. This arrangement followed authorities enforcing equal treatment for all defendants, despite Premchai's initial request to use his own vehicle.

 

This legal debacle is not Premchai's first. Back in 2019, he served two and a half years in prison for wildlife offences. These charges followed the discovery of illegal hunting at a sanctuary, involving the carcasses of protected animals like a rare black panther. The scandal over these hunts shocked the nation, further complicating Premchai’s public profile and compounding his legal troubles.

 

As the investigation unfolds, the implications of the building's collapse, both legal and societal, await further clarity. With additional witnesses and reports pending, the ramifications for those implicated remain a focal point of public anticipation. The case currently stands as a stark reminder of the serious repercussions when negligence occurs in major infrastructure projects in Thailand.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai Newsroom 2025-05-17

 

 

Wheel chairs are the favored transport here....Thaksin and now Premchai....yes...we feel sorry for you:)

Ah, the wheel chair thing. 

Seems to have lost weight too. Both literally & metaphorically.

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Premchai was transported separately in a pickup truck, owing to his need for a wheelchair and urinary catheter.

He knows there is a vacancy at Police General Hospital, still needs a neck brace though, catheter and wheelchair will get private car only.

How about a few weeks in a VIP room at the police hospital.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Premchai was given special arrangements due to his health condition.

Thaksin's old room ?

Despite the chin sling and his apparent frailty, he retains the mental capacity to make a secret signal with his right hand indicating to his protection team their next action.

 

Transporting him in the back of a police pickup would display him as a figure of importance, his very own 'Popemobile'. Was he facing front or rear?

17 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Wheel chairs are the favored transport here....Thaksin and now Premchai....yes...we feel sorry for you:)

 

Off to Police General Hospital he'll soon be going, or some similar arrangement owing to his "health."

 

 

17 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Wheel chairs are the favored transport here....Thaksin and now Premchai....yes...we feel sorry for you:)

 

15 hours ago, nausea said:

Ah, the wheel chair thing. 

 

I was thinking the same thing, and then I took a closer look at him. You should too. Have a look at his ankles and shins, Swollen and the purple discolouration. Look at his hand skin tone,  pale.  The man is in poor medical condition. I would not be surprised if he is diabetic with kidney disease and/or  heart disease.  In this case, I think he does need the wheelchair. He is only 71, but looks like 81+.

 

 

11 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Seems to have lost weight too. Both literally & metaphorically.

 

The face covering  conceals his multiple chins.

16 hours ago, nausea said:

Ah, the wheel chair thing. 

Not funny 

The OP was about the disastrous collapse of the building. A collapse that caused the horrific deaths of many workers yet the majority of posters here make comments about wheelchairs, neck braces and the Police Hospital with the oh so obvious connection to Mr T.

Please, instead of showing how effing witty you plums are, show some respect for the (probably) undocumented 350 baht a day workers who have lost their lives.

 

Agree.

 

Mindless individuals with nothing better else to do.

16 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

 

I was thinking the same thing, and then I took a closer look at him. You should too. Have a look at his ankles and shins, Swollen and the purple discolouration. Look at his hand skin tone,  pale.  The man is in poor medical condition. I would not be surprised if he is diabetic with kidney disease and/or  heart disease.  In this case, I think he does need the wheelchair. He is only 71, but looks like 81+.

 

 

 

The face covering  conceals his multiple chins.

When they showed him coming out of prison a while back he looked horrible.No pity though.

Just how corrupt is the chap? Implicated in this and a slayer of black panthers. Not a likeable uncle.

There's a vacant luxury suite waiting for one of you.

Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) and a suspect in the State Audit Office building collapse case, has been transferred from the Bangkok Remand Prison’s medical unit to the Correctional Hospital.

 

The 71-year-old was moved for examination due to breathing problems. Reports say he has several underlying health conditions, and due to his age, he was admitted for treatment.

 

Earlier today, another suspect, Pimon Charoenying, an 85-year-old structural engineer whose signature appears on the design plans, was also transferred to the Correctional Hospital due to health issues and his age.

 

https://x.com/ThaiEnquirer/status/1924751612788277360

 

On 5/18/2025 at 12:56 AM, Patong2021 said:

 

 

I was thinking the same thing, and then I took a closer look at him. You should too. Have a look at his ankles and shins, Swollen and the purple discolouration. Look at his hand skin tone,  pale.  The man is in poor medical condition. I would not be surprised if he is diabetic with kidney disease and/or  heart disease.  In this case, I think he does need the wheelchair. He is only 71, but looks like 81+.

You are correct. In this case the wheelchair in genuine. I saw him about three months ago in Villa market and he was being pushed around in a wheelchair then.