Bangkok, January 16 (AseanAll) — On January 15, 2026, Thai Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul chaired a meeting to discuss safety measures for transport construction projects, following the back-to-back crane collapses in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Si Khio district and Rama II Road.
Participating in the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn; Deputy Prime Minister Borwornsak Uwanno; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithanprapas; Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Transport Chayatan Phromsorn; Secretary General of Office of Council of State Pakorn Nilprapunt; Comptroller General Patricia Mongkhonvanit; Director General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Theerapat Kachamat; Director-General of the Department of Rail Transport Pichet Kunadhamraks; Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand Anan Phonimdaeng; Chairperson of the Engineering Institute of Thailand Anek Siripanichgorn; and representatives from relevant agencies. Government Spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister convened this urgent meeting to discuss the deadly construction crane collapse on a passenger train at the high-speed rail construction site in Si Khio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province on January 14, and a similar incident occurred in the morning of January 15 at the construction of an elevated highway on Rama II Road.
The tragic part is that not only these incidents cost so many lives, but both projects are also under the responsibility of the same contractor. Over the past 10 months, there have been a number of incidents, both on and off the records, at the construction project sites under the responsibility of this company, including some that have drawn public attention, i.e., the collapse of the State Audit Office building from earthquake in April 2025; a structural collapse of the Rama II elevated highway not long after; and the latest two incidents.
In the case of State Audit Office building collapse, the Prime Minister was reported that the construction contract with this company has yet to be terminated nor had any contractual adjustments been made as the construction has not been technically completed. Contract guarantees or bank assurances have never been requested from the contractor. The construction is simply suspended with no measures taken against the contractor. Meanwhile, the damage caused by the Rama II elevated highway’s structural collapse has since been repaired and returned to normal use.
For the crane collapse in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Si Khio district, as a state agency providing train services, State Railway of Thailand (SRT) cannot avoid being held accountable as all the fatalities were railway passengers.
According to the Prime Minister, liabilities are divided into 2 parts:
1. The state, as provider of public transportation services, must bear responsibility for the safety and well‑being of the people using those services.
2. The state must seek compensation and take any necessary actions stipulated in respective contract to ensure safety and prevent such incidents from occurring again in future projects carried out with the Government.
Such incidents are unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue, nor there be a finger pointing, especially when financial experts, state legal advisers, project owners, budget owners, and the Engineering Institute of Thailand who can provide engineering assessments, are already in place. As head of the Government, The Prime Minister ordered for the construction halt for 2 weeks, and a report must be submitted before resuming the operation. However, clear and concrete measures must be put in place to boost public confidence, remedy those who have lost their loved ones, and restore trust among international investors.
The Prime Minister also instructed Ministry of Transport to terminate construction contracts with this contractor and to pursue relevant legal actions, including blacklisting. Contract termination will be carried out according to existing legal procedures and the advice of the Comptroller General’s Department. The Government will also proceed as per the advice and guidance of the Council of State and Office of the Attorney General to protect public interest, ensure people’s safety, and boost international confidence. Today’s meeting primarily focused on addressing urgent issues, given the incident severity and the distress they caused among the public.
