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The 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 centered in Myanmar, more
than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away, killed at least 96
people in Bangkok, mostly at the collapsed site. More than 3,000
were killed in Myanmar.
Eighty-nine bodies have been retrieved from the rubble while
seven people remain unaccounted for at the site, officials said.
They said they would continue to test hundreds of pieces of
human remains to identify those still missing.
The collapse sparked questions about the enforcement of
construction safety and corruption. The high-rise building,
meant to be the new office of the State Audit Office, was the
only building that suffered a total collapse that day.
The police on Tuesday said they are still investigating and will
continue to collect evidence from the collapse site until the
end of this month.
Authorities are probing several companies and individuals for
any wrongdoing in relation to the collapse, including the
state-run Chinese contractor, China Railway No. 10 Engineering
Group. The investigation has led to the arrest of its Chinese
executive in Thailand, identified as Zhang, and three Thai
shareholders on suspicion of operating the business through the
use of nominees.
Foreigners can operate a business in Thailand, but it must be a
joint venture with a Thai partner, and they cannot own more than
49% to protect local competitiveness.
Another Thai-Chinese company, Xin Ke Yuan Steel, also came under
scrutiny over the quality of the steel rods provided for the
building. Industry Minister Akanat Promphan said two types of
steel rods found at the collapse site did not pass safety
standards and that Xin Ke Yuan supplied both. The company has
denied any wrongdoing.
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