The government is intensifying efforts to restore international confidence in Thailand after Friday's earthquake, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said.
Speaking at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center (TIESC) opening ceremony at One Bangkok, Ms Paetongtarn on Monday addressed the international community regarding the collapse of the new State Audit Office (SAO) building during the earthquake.
She said the collapse was due to technical errors affecting that particular building while reassuring that no other buildings in Bangkok were at risk of collapsing as they adhered to earthquake-resistant standards.
She underscored Thailand's commitment to restoring its image and ensuring public confidence, saying a thorough investigation into the project's approval, design and construction materials is underway.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, along with Industry Minister Akanat Promphan, will review the project's construction materials. Samples have already been collected for analysis. The prime minister said initial findings are expected within two or three days.
Meanwhile, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that the situation in the capital had almost fully stabilised.
He said normal traffic had resumed throughout Bangkok, including major expressways and metro lines, except for minor congestion near the site of the collapsed building in Chatuchak district and areas with crane removal operations in Bang Sue district.
He also said that building inspections in the city are ongoing, with over 13,000 reports received. Many cases involve minor wall cracks, while two buildings have been deemed unsafe, affecting approximately 2,000 residents.
Temporary shelters have been arranged for those in need, with corporate and government agencies assisting.
In another development, Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD), a stakeholder in the ITD-CREC joint venture, the contractor for the collapsed SAO building, issued a statement expressing "deep regret" over the incident.
The company pledged full cooperation with authorities and compensation for the families of the deceased and injured.
The ITD said it was confident that its other construction projects would not be affected.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has not confirmed if the ITD would be blacklisted by the government but he did say that possible criminal charges are being considered.
