讀後心得

A 30-story National Audit Office building under construction in Bangkok collapsed during a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on March 28, resulting in at least 12 deaths and more than 70 people trapped under the rubble. Chinese authorities have requested that Chinese-funded companies cooperate with the Thai investigation, as this building was partially constructed by China Railway 10th Bureau, raising concerns about quality. The construction budget for the building reached 2.136 billion Thai Baht, and it was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023, but has drawn attention due to construction delays. Thailand's Ministry of Interior has established an investigation committee to look into possible design, supervision, or construction errors. Unqualified steel materials have been discovered in the concrete debris, and four Chinese nationals have already been detained by the police for attempting to move documents. Experts point out that the "flat-slab" system used in the building performed poorly during the earthquake and may be one of the reasons for the collapse. As for the specific cause, it remains to be determined by the Thai investigation results.

The ruins of the National Audit Office of Thailand collapsed instantly during the earthquake. Chinese authorities have stated that they will request Chinese-funded enterprises to "actively cooperate" with Thailand in investigating the collapse of the Bangkok building constructed by China Railway 10th Bureau. Last week, as Myanmar experienced a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, a 30-story under-construction building in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, collapsed, resulting in at least 12 deaths, with over 70 people believed to be trapped under the rubble. The stunning collapse of this building became an iconic image of the earthquake in Bangkok. Although many high-rise buildings in Bangkok saw their pool water spill due to the tremors, this building was the only high-rise in Bangkok that completely collapsed, raising external questions about its construction quality.

The collapsed building was the office of the National Audit Office of Thailand, constructed by a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Plc and the Chinese state-owned enterprise China Railway 10th Bureau. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand recently issued a statement expressing deep condolences for the severe casualties caused by the collapse due to the involvement of the Chinese-funded enterprise in the construction, and pledged to fully support the Thai side's investigation, directing Chinese-funded enterprises to cooperate with relevant investigative work.

The construction budget for the building was 2.136 billion Thai baht (approximately 62.22 million USD), approved in 2020, with construction starting in early 2021 and planned for completion in December 2023, although it had already been delayed at the time of the accident.

Thailand not only celebrated the topping-out of the building's main structure on social media but also featured a red slogan "Topping Ceremony" in their posts. However, after the earthquake, the company deleted the related posts. Officials from the local disaster prevention department indicated that the way the high-rise collapsed was like a pancake, collapsing layer by layer. The Minister of the Interior has instructed the establishment of an investigative committee, expecting a report within seven days, mentioning that potential factors leading to the collapse could include failures by the designer, supervisor, or construction party.

Before the earthquake occurred, there had been doubts raised about the building. The chairman of Thailand's anti-corruption agency stated that the anti-corruption organization had expressed concerns to the National Audit Office regarding this project, pointing out that a lack of workers and "cutting corners" were observed during the construction period. Further investigations revealed that the rebar supplied by the Chinese-funded enterprise was substandard, with both the weight and tensile strength failing to meet standards.

Additionally, Thai police have detained four Chinese citizens for allegedly attempting to unlawfully remove documents from the collapsed site. The area around the ruins has been cordoned off, and authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation into all involved construction projects.

As for the cause of the building's collapse, there is currently no definitive conclusion. A seismic engineering expert pointed out that the "flat slab" design used in the building, while having construction advantages, could potentially lead to structural failures during an earthquake.