Four Chinese sentenced for illegal entry at Bangkok collapse site

Bangkok North Municipal Court has sentenced four Chinese nationals, who illegally entered the restricted zone around collapsed Sao office in Chatuchak district on March 29, to two-month jail terms.

The four were seen removing files relating to the construction of the building, which collapsed after tremors from the March 28th earthquake in Myanmar struck the area.

Access to the site of a disaster is automatically restricted by Thailand’s 2007 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act. The court therefore sentenced them to two months in jail and a fined them 6,000 baht each.

The sentences were, however, reduced to one month (suspended) and the fines to 3,000 baht each, because the defendants had pleaded guilty.

As they had no prior criminal record, the jail term was suspended for one year.

The four were captured in viral videos and photographs carrying a number of files from the site and Bangkok city officials subsequently filed a complaint with police.