Bangkok governor urges owners of 11,000 buildings to check safety

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged owners of approximately 11,000 buildings to assess safety after Friday's earthquake

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Sunday urged the owners of approximately 11,000 buildings across the capital to assess their safety following Friday's earthquake, emphasising that the order is a request for cooperation.

This statement followed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s order on Saturday, which required owners of nine types of buildings and structures to assess potential damage caused by the quake.

Owners of these nine building types, including large and tall buildings, hotels, theatres, entertainment venues and giant billboards, are asked to report their findings to the BMA within two weeks. 

They are also required to evaluate guidelines for improving, repairing, or reinforcing the buildings to ensure safety according to engineering principles.Chadchart emphasised that this is merely a request for cooperation from building owners to inspect whether their buildings have been affected by the earthquake, as the government cannot inspect every building on its own.

The BMA only inspected buildings that were severely affected, and buildings in the Sukhumvit and Ladprao areas have been ordered to stop operating,” he said, adding that other buildings are continuing to operate as usual.

However, if the inspection cannot be completed within the specified time, the building owner must inform the BMA of the issue so that solutions can be developed.

“If the inspection finds no cracks or damage, there is no problem. But the important thing is that people must be assured that the building they live or work in is safe,” said the Bangkok governor.Chadchart also mentioned the inspection of public transport infrastructure, such as the MRT Pink Line and the Din Daeng expressway, which have yet to resume services. 

He said that these infrastructures could resume service if deemed safe, and he expects the Pink Line to begin operations tomorrow, in line with a report from the Transport Ministry.

The Bangkok governor confirmed that the BMA’s building inspection order carries no penalties under the law, stating that the order is intended to request cooperation from the private sector to ensure safety in emergency situations.

Chadchart added that the government has initially allocated 200 million baht to mitigate the earthquake's impact, covering expenses for search and rescue efforts, as well as other related operations.

He mentioned that the BMA is exploring regulations regarding whether building owners can receive funding for inspections, noting that some inspections could be conducted at minimal cost.

(2025/03/30-00:00)