The Department of Special Investigation has arrested a Chinese executive of the construction company that was building the State Audit Office tower in Bangkok, where dozens of people died when it collapsed during the March 28 earthquake.
Zhang Chuanling was taken into custody at a hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area of the capital on Saturday, the DSI announced.
He is one of four people sought on arrest warrants for being nominees of China Railway No.10 (Thailand) Co.
The three others are Thai nationals: Manas Sri-anan, Prachuap Sirikhet and Sophon Meechai, according to the DSI.
The four were listed as executives of the Thai subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned construction firm, which was in a joint venture with SET-listed Italian-Thai Development Plc. The two contractors formed the ITD-CREC consortium that was building the 30-storey State Audit Office headquarters in Chatuchak district of Bangkok.
The business address of China Railway No.10 (Thailand) was listed as Soi Phutthabucha in the Bang Mod area of Thung Khru district in Bangkok. The DSI investigation into the shareholding structure of the company found 51% of the shares were held by Thai nationals: Sophon (40.7997%), Prachuap (10.2%) and Manas (0.0003%). Mr Zhang held the remaining 49%.
The DSI said on Saturday that its investigators had looked into the shareholdings by Thai nominees and questioned witnesses. They said they had enough evidence to suspect the use of nominees, in breach of the Foreign Business Act of 1999.
They then obtained approval from the Criminal Court for arrest warrants for the four named executives of China Railway No.10 (Thailand).
Investigators tracked down Mr Zhang to a hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area and took him to the DSI headquarters on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok for questioning.
A search is under way for the three other Thai executives.
Investigations by other agencies are also continuing into a variety of issues, including the suspected use of substandard steel in the construction of the building.
At the collapse site, meanwhile, rescue teams are now focusing on clearing rubble around the lift shaft, where the bodies of around 30 missing people are expected to be found.
Several more bodies were recovered on Friday, raising the death toll to 47, with another 47 people still unaccounted for, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Investigators from the Department of Special Investigation escort Zhang Chuanling, an executive of China Railway No.10 (Thailand) Co, from a Bangkok hotel to the DSI headquarters on Saturday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
