Bangkok MP Demands Safer Underground Construction After 5th Road Collapse
Bangkok MP Phatsarin Ramwong demanded stronger underground construction safety standards after Samsen Road collapsed for the fifth time in a two-kilometer stretch. The latest cave-in occurred at a Purple Line metro project shaft, which she says reflects systemic negligence. Phatsarin pressed Prime Minister Anutin to fulfill a year-old parliamentary promise to investigate construction flaws and prevent recurrences, urging strict contractor oversight and penalties before lives are lost.
Bangkok MP Phatsarin Ramwong of the People's Party addressed the latest collapse on Samsen Road on November 9. The incident occurred at the mouth of Soi Samsen 30, adjacent to a construction shaft for the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority's pipeline system, which is part of the Purple Line metro project. Phatsarin said the event reflects chronic negligence and a complete failure of safety standards beneath traffic surfaces.
Since taking office as MP for the Bang Sue-Dusit area, covering the 2-kilometer stretch of Samsen Road from Vajira Hospital intersection to Kiak Kai intersection, Phatsarin said road subsidence and collapse incidents have occurred at least five times. While recent collapses were less severe than the sinkhole in front of Vajira Hospital, she stressed this must not become normalized or serve as an excuse for state agencies to be complacent.
Though fortunately no injuries or deaths have occurred, Phatsarin noted the damage to property, vehicles with broken undercarriages, public anxiety, and lost travel time are costs borne daily by road users. Safe travel without fear of road collapse should be a basic right, and no construction project should compromise it.
Phatsarin said she has pursued the issue through all legislative mechanisms and is now using this fifth incident to demand answers on Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's promise from the October 2024 parliamentary session to urgently investigate construction flaws and implement preventive measures — a promise now over a year old. She urged all ministries, state agencies, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to rigorously inspect contractor operations, impose strict penalties, and urgently raise safety standards for underground drilling with precise engineering tools, before a loss of life occurs.
