The Chinese construction contractor China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd. is now a household name for Thai audiences. It was under this company's supervision that the 33-story State Audit Office building was built — the one that collapsed entirely in Bangkok during the earthquake on March 28th. The tragedy's fallout logically triggered inspections of the contractor, since the infamous collapse isn't the only major project China Railway Number 10 has running in the Kingdom.
The Chinese contractor also owns the 7-story "DER SEA" women's dormitory at Phuket Rajabhat University, with 528 units. Construction on "DER SEA" began back in 2020, but the pandemic brought a series of restrictions and revisions, pushing the planned handover date from 2022 to 2024. The dormitory is meant for Chinese students and has already been built, though it isn't occupied yet. It's obviously not as large a project as the collapsed State Audit Office building, but even so, it underwent inspection in early April.
The inspection was carried out directly by representatives of DPT Phuket, who were only granted access to the building by the Chinese company's management after producing written authorization from the university, and on condition that no photography took place inside. During the inspection of the building's concrete and steel systems, no violations were found — but there are other buildings on the island that China Railway Number 10 has been constructing for years now. One example: the future office of the Provincial Electricity Authority of Phuket in the Ratsada area. That project has clearly dragged on: work began in 2021, and the building still isn't finished, while cracks have already appeared in the concrete structures.
Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee, who led an independent inspection team looking into China Railway Number 10 (Thailand), stated that the contractor has previously faced accusations of wage fraud — at least 16 workers have filed lawsuits over unpaid compensation. It also emerged that the company subcontracted part of the work to a firm that never paid its laborers, and litigation over that case is still ongoing.
Also under scrutiny is an entire residential complex: the Keha Chumchon Pa Klong Cheep affordable housing project, 354 homes with a budget of 343 million baht, also in Phuket, in Thalang. The complex is already occupied, which means a full record of complaints has built up: new residents report cracks in the walls, peeling decorative panels, mold, damaged tiling, faulty fire alarms, and leaking pipes in the bathrooms. Complaints have come in from 174 of the complex's 354 homes.
Residents, each of whom paid more than 1.5 million baht for their new home, admit that on top of their general dissatisfaction with the build quality, a new fear has set in: after the earthquake, they've simply become afraid for their lives inside walls built by China Railway Number 10. According to residents, they've repeatedly complained about the defects to the company; company representatives documented the issues on their visits, then left without taking any steps to fix them. This has reportedly happened more than once.
All in all, it's an unpleasant situation that clearly calls for further investigation. That's how the March 28th earthquake, by bringing down one China Railway Number 10 building, ended up knocking over a whole line of other problems, domino-style — problems that the relevant government agencies are now dealing with.
The Chinese contractor also owns the 7-story "DER SEA" women's dormitory at Phuket Rajabhat University, with 528 units. Construction on "DER SEA" began back in 2020, but the pandemic brought a series of restrictions and revisions, pushing the planned handover date from 2022 to 2024. The dormitory is meant for Chinese students and has already been built, though it isn't occupied yet. It's obviously not as large a project as the collapsed State Audit Office building, but even so, it underwent inspection in early April.
The inspection was carried out directly by representatives of DPT Phuket, who were only granted access to the building by the Chinese company's management after producing written authorization from the university, and on condition that no photography took place inside. During the inspection of the building's concrete and steel systems, no violations were found — but there are other buildings on the island that China Railway Number 10 has been constructing for years now. One example: the future office of the Provincial Electricity Authority of Phuket in the Ratsada area. That project has clearly dragged on: work began in 2021, and the building still isn't finished, while cracks have already appeared in the concrete structures.
Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee, who led an independent inspection team looking into China Railway Number 10 (Thailand), stated that the contractor has previously faced accusations of wage fraud — at least 16 workers have filed lawsuits over unpaid compensation. It also emerged that the company subcontracted part of the work to a firm that never paid its laborers, and litigation over that case is still ongoing.
Also under scrutiny is an entire residential complex: the Keha Chumchon Pa Klong Cheep affordable housing project, 354 homes with a budget of 343 million baht, also in Phuket, in Thalang. The complex is already occupied, which means a full record of complaints has built up: new residents report cracks in the walls, peeling decorative panels, mold, damaged tiling, faulty fire alarms, and leaking pipes in the bathrooms. Complaints have come in from 174 of the complex's 354 homes.
Residents, each of whom paid more than 1.5 million baht for their new home, admit that on top of their general dissatisfaction with the build quality, a new fear has set in: after the earthquake, they've simply become afraid for their lives inside walls built by China Railway Number 10. According to residents, they've repeatedly complained about the defects to the company; company representatives documented the issues on their visits, then left without taking any steps to fix them. This has reportedly happened more than once.
All in all, it's an unpleasant situation that clearly calls for further investigation. That's how the March 28th earthquake, by bringing down one China Railway Number 10 building, ended up knocking over a whole line of other problems, domino-style — problems that the relevant government agencies are now dealing with.
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Original text translated by Claude