Bangkok Residents Forced Out as Their Townhouses Collapse and Subside by Phairath Khampha 17 July 2002 Two townhouses subsided and partly collapsed in Bangkok's Bang Bon district on the night of July 11, 2002, forcing occupants to run for their lives. Ten townhouses were damaged in the incident which took place about 8 pm. No injuries were reported, though the area was declared uninhabitable, so unless district officials were to change their mind, all the townhouses became worthless and the people that lived in them--some heavily in debt--had nowhere to live. A classic Thai dilemma in a country full of corrupt officials that allow badly designed and poorly constructed structres to be built. The area was declared a danger zone as other houses started to subside and many developed deep cracks. District official Koochart Nakornsut said residents were advised to move out for their own safety. "We have inspected the area and found it is no longer fit for living in. The damage cannot be repaired," he said. It appeared the three-storey estate was built on soft soil and needed stronger foundations, he said. The estate, known as "89 Bang Bon View", was built by Chitnipit Co in the early 1990s when the real estate sector was at its peak. The company closed a few years later. However, the official said project engineer Prasert Chitnipit could be held liable and could face criminal charges. Another city official said it was not possible for council workers to inspect all buildings even though the law required them to do so. Many of them just take bribes from the engineers or contractors or developers and never bother to inspect anything. He admitted that even some of the 5-star hotels in Bangkok had dangerous features and could conceivably collapse. Over the years some in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand have already. The worst case, several years before in Nakhon Ratchasima resulted in over 100 deaths, mainly teachers attending a convention in the hotel. Wallop Suwansuthorn, of the city's building control division, said the estate was known as a "non-control" building. In such cases officials usually inspected the blueprint only after being paid their 'tea' money. They did not inspect such buildings once they had been put up. City staff tended to inspect only commercial and public buildings. "A developer is required to register when he starts a project. If he is building a house rather than a public building, however, there is no need to register once it is completed," he said. With the company now out of business, residents hoping to take civil action and claim compensation could be out of luck, although civil law gives damaged parties the right to take action within two years of a company closing. "I am lucky enough to escape unhurt. But I have nothing left. This house is all I have," said one resident. He still owed a bank 600,000 baht from a housing loan. "I kept all my savings for the deposit of 200,000 baht. I had no idea it would end this way." Nattaya Chetchotiros, an assistant assignment editor with the Bangkok Post, was one of the residents asked to move out. She said the kitchen and toilet at the rear of the house went down, and although the rest looked liveable, council staff told her the house was unsafe. "I am scared and do not want to stay on any longer. But it is difficult to ask my ageing parents to leave," she said. "I want to sue the company for their irresponsibility."