THE Chatuchak district office has filed a complaint with police that four Chinese men had smuggled 32 files out of the compound of the unfinished 30-storey State Audit Office building that collapsed with the force of the massive earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Friday (March 28), Amarin TV said this evening (March 30).
Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police, said as Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has declared the metropolis a disaster zone, which is covered by the Disaster Prevention Act, the collapsed building site is a restricted area.
Police were alerted by the media yesterday that four men were seen taking documents out of the area behind the collapsed building with this being adjacent to a parking lot and drove off with them.
A police team went to investigate and found one Chinese man near this area and he claimed to be the project director.
The Chinese men who took documents were called back and a total of four of them, including the man who said he was the project director, were questioned last night.
Their passports were checked and they had work permits for a joint venture with Italian-Thai Development Plc.
The documents in the 32 files were also checked and they concerned the contractor and subcontractors, electrical engineering and various other systems plus a letter requesting inspection of general work.
These documents were seized and the four Chinese men were temporarily released after questioning.
Meanwhile Bangkok deputy governors Assoc. Prof. Thawida Kamolvech and Mr. Wisanu Traiphumpol said this evening that as of 4.30 p.m. today the quake death toll in the city reached 18, with 33 injured and 78 missing.
Regarding the traffic, all city trains are operating normally except for the Pink Line, the Chaeng Watthana-RamIntra route, where signal problems are being fixed. However this is a feeder route and passengers could use other means of transportation such as vans and motorcycle taxis.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand has confirmed that it is expediting the reopening of Din Daeng expressway by 5 a.m. tomorrow. The entrance and exit ramps of this stretch of the expressway were closed after the quake as debris had scattered on them.
In addition Chao Phraya Express Boat Service is adding 20 more trips to help commuters.
Regarding the stability of buildings in Bangkok, BMA has so far received 11,675 reports from the public via its Traffy Fondue website.
Both staff and volunteer engineers, divided into 20 teams, had checked 315 buildings and were to inspect a hundred more today.
However they pointed out that building owners have a responsibility to carry out an annual inspection of their property and they are required to complete this and file a report to the BMA within two weeks.
Volunteer engineers found that some residents of two buildings needed assistance with one a being 1,140-unit condominium in Chatuchak area with 570 units already transferred and approximately 600 residents living in them. A total of 112 residents needed help.
The second one is a 1,913-unit condominium in Phra Khanong district with 322 units transferred and 395 people living in them. Altogether 25 residents needed help.
Both Chatuchak and Phra Khanong district offices are urgently collecting information to provide the needed assistance.
Regarding the collapsed building, search is ongoing with today being the second day. This morning there were still vital signs in Zone A of the rubble. Most recently additional bodies have been found taking the total to 11 with 18 workers injured. An international rescue team had joined this operation and additional equipment brought in so there may be adjustment of the rescue operation at the site.
CAPTION:
Top: Composite photo showing Chinese men smuggling files out of the collapsed building compound, left, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat, right.
Insert and Front Page: Rescue operation at the collapsed building site. All photos: Amarin TV
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