‘Lifelong scar’: SAO drops plan to rebuild at collapse site

The State Audit Office (SAO) will not proceed with the construction of a new headquarters on the collapse site in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, where its building was razed to the ground by the impact of an earthquake in Myanmar on March 28 last year, according to Sutthipong Boonnithi, deputy auditor-general and SAO spokesperson.

Describing the project as a lasting emotional wound for the organisation, Sutthipong said the agency plans to terminate its land lease with the State Railway of Thailand and will continue operating from its existing premises.

He said the site remains a painful reminder of the lives lost.

“Every time I drive past, I think that a building once stood there and that 93 lives were lost, while three are still missing… the words ‘building collapse’ will stay with us for the rest of our lives. This should never have happened.”

He also extended condolences to the victims’ families, noting that the SAO, as the project’s client, had taken part in the funeral arrangements for the deceased.

He was speaking ahead of the first anniversary of the tragedy, when the under-construction headquarters of the State Audit Office collapsed.

The partially completed building, part of a major government infrastructure project, gave way suddenly, trapping dozens of workers under the rubble. Most victims were found near stairwells, where they had tried to escape as the structure collapsed within seconds.

Rescue operations were officially called off on May 13, 2025, after nearly seven weeks of intensive search efforts.

Addressing public criticism, Sutthipong stressed that responsibility for the collapse lies with officials overseeing procurement and contracting processes, including the auditor-general and the Central Administration Bureau.

A total of 75 officials, himself included, have been assigned responsibility for the project, he said, adding that more than 3,000 other SAO staff who carried out their regular duties should not be blamed.

“We must emphasise that responsibility lies with the 75 officials involved, not the nearly 4,000 staff performing their assigned roles,” he said.

The disaster became one of the deadliest construction-related accidents in Thailand in recent years and sparked widespread calls for reform in government procurement and project management.