China Link Raises Alarms as Deadly Construction Failures Rock Thailand - english.pardafas.com

Thailand’s construction sector is facing mounting public anger after a string of deadly accidents exposed deep safety lapses—failures critics increasingly link to Chinese-backed projects and practices. The latest incidents include a crane collapse onto a moving passenger train last week that killed 32 people, followed a day later by another crane accident in Bangkok that left two dead. The outrage is especially intense in the capital, where repeated fatal accidents on large road and rail projects have heightened fears about construction safety. At the center of the controversy is Italian-Thai Development, also known as Italthai, the contractor involved in both recent accidents. The same company was a joint lead contractor in the collapse of the 33-storey State Audit Office building last year, an incident that killed nearly 100 workers. That building was the only major structure in Thailand to collapse during an earthquake whose epicenter lay more than 1,300 kilometers away in Myanmar—fueling suspicions that poor construction, not natural forces, was the real cause. Prosecutors later indicted 23 individuals and companies, including Italthai president Premchai Karnasuta, on charges ranging from professional negligence causing death to document forgery. The company has denied all wrongdoing. Following the latest deaths, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered authorities to terminate contracts, blacklist and prosecute companies responsible for serious safety violations. The government also announced plans to seize performance bonds to complete unfinished projects and introduce a contractor “scorecard” system to track safety records. While investigators often point to immediate causes such as human error or equipment failure, experts argue the real problem runs much deeper. Weak regulation, poor enforcement and entrenched corruption have created an environment where safety standards are routinely bypassed. A lengthy probe into last year’s tower collapse concluded that flawed structural design and deliberate regulatory evasion were the primary causes. Civil engineering experts warn that Thailand’s problem is not a lack of technical knowledge, but a broken system. They cite fragmented oversight, conflicts of interest in safety assessments and a shortage of truly independent inspectors, resulting in reports that often mask serious risks. Adding to public anger is the growing role of Chinese companies in troubled projects. The deadly train accident occurred on a rail line linked to a Thai–Chinese high-speed railway project, part of China’s broader Belt and Road Initiative. That initiative has faced criticism worldwide over corruption, debt risks and poor construction standards. Scrutiny intensified after it emerged that China Railway No. 10, a co-lead contractor in the collapsed State Audit Office project, allegedly violated Thai law by using nominee shareholders to conceal Chinese control of its local subsidiary. Its Bangkok representative has been charged under Thailand’s Foreign Business Act. On social media, angry Thais revived the term “tofu-dreg projects”—a phrase associated with shoddy, unsafe construction in China—to describe what they see as rushed, poorly regulated and profit-driven infrastructure. The term gained notoriety after China’s 2008 Sichuan earthquake, when thousands died in the collapse of substandard buildings. China’s ambassador to Thailand has insisted that Beijing requires its companies to follow local laws and has pledged cooperation with Thai investigations. But for many in Thailand, the repeated tragedies have already cast a long shadow over Chinese involvement in the country’s infrastructure—raising hard questions about accountability, safety and the true cost of rapid development.The post China Link Raises Alarms as Deadly Construction Failures Rock Thailand first appeared on epardafas.com.