Thai authorities have arrested a Chinese national who is an executive at the company responsible for building a high-rise in Bangkok that collapsed during a powerful earthquake last month, killing dozens. The 30-story building, still under construction, was being developed by a Chinese-backed firm and is now under investigation following the 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central Myanmar on March 28. The structure collapsed within seconds, sending up a massive cloud of dust and debris and trapping many people beneath the wreckage. So far, 47 deaths have been confirmed, with another 47 individuals still missing.

On Saturday, Thailand’s Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said a Thai court had issued arrest warrants for four people, including three Thai nationals, linked to China Railway No.10. They are accused of violating the Foreign Business Act, which limits foreign ownership in Thai companies to no more than 49 per cent.

The Department of Special Investigation, which operates under the justice ministry, announced on Saturday that one of the four individuals had been taken into custody, a Chinese "company representative" named Zhang. China Railway No.10 had partnered with an Italian-Thai firm in a joint venture to construct the State Audit Office tower, which later collapsed. According to an AFP report, Zhang holds a 49 per cent share in the company, while three Thai nationals own 51 per cent collectively. 

However, Tawee told reporters, "we have evidence... that the three Thais were holding shares for other foreign independents".

Tawee also mentioned that several investigations regarding the building collapse are underway, including possible bid rigging and the suspected use of forged engineer signatures in construction supervision contracts. Earlier this month, Thai security inspectors revealed that some steel rebars, used to reinforce concrete, tested from the site were found to be of poor quality.

On March 31, police detained four Chinese nationals for entering the collapsed construction site without permission. Authorities said they were attempting to recover documents from the area. The fallen skyscraper was the only central structure in Bangkok to collapse during the devastating March 28 earthquake, which claimed over 3,700 lives in Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar.