A merit-making ceremony is held on May 13, 2025 for those who lost their lives in the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak district of Bangkok. The 2.1-billion-baht complex, intended to embody the integrity of the country's top watchdog, instead became a symbol of public outrage and institutional failure. For many observers, the physical destruction has come to mirror a collapse of public confidence in the SAO and in the broader system of state construction oversight. While a foreign firm has been implicated, Mr Mana stressed the issue is not about nationality but about systemic weaknesses. He called for urgent reforms, including full disclosure of the investigation, stronger safety standards, greater procurement transparency and stricter enforcement of professional ethics.

Source: Bangkok Post March 27, 2026 23:05 UTC