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RIP

After investigation, officials have announced that the construction had too many floors, was structurally unsound, and had used wrong materials.


Collapsed Building Had Too Little Rebar, Wrong Cement, Officials Say
4 min read
So JayaUdom
Thu Jan 9, 2020 9:55 pm
Officials in Kep province, where 36 people were killed when an unfinished building collapsed on them last week, said the construction had various technical failures — from using incorrect materials to building too many floors — and diverged from what the building permit allowed.

A defense lawyer for the building’s owners, however, denied that it was more stories than it was supposed to be, and said his clients were not criminally responsible, but had agreed to pay compensation to the victims.

The building, owned by Ek Sarun and his wife Chhiv Sothy, fell on January 3 in Kep city, killing workers and family members inside, including six children, and injuring 23 other people who were pulled from the debris for three days by rescuers.

The couple were released on bail this week after being charged with manslaughter and causing injury. A court spokesman said they were under court restrictions and not allowed to leave the country.

Soth Puthi Manin, a deputy director of the provincial land management department, told VOD on Wednesday that the building had seven floors, including a mezzanine level on the ground floor, but owners had requested a permit for a five-story building.

The mezzanine slabs, which were not included in the building permit request, were added after the fourth floor had been built, Puthi Manin said.

“It’s wrong. Technically wrong. It is completely wrong,” he said.

Lay Vannara, another deputy director of Kep’s land management department, told VOD on Monday that the building began construction five months before the Kep provincial governor signed off on the permit in August.

He also said the builders had been permitted to construct a six-story building. It was unclear why Vannara told VOD that the permit was for a six-story building, while his colleague, Puthi Manin, later said the permit was for a five-story building.

Hours after the building fell the Kep provincial administration said that it was six stories while most media outlets, including VOD, reported that the building was seven.

In a photo of the building before it collapsed, which was published by government-aligned Fresh News on January 3, the building is seen to have seven floors, including the ground floor and a top floor with a partial roof.

Defense lawyer Kong Sam Onn, however, disputed that the unfinished building had seven floors, calling the provincial administration’s statement and media reports incorrect.

Sam Onn argued that the ground floor and rooftop terrace should not be counted as floors of the building.

“In fact, it is not seven floors. It is five floors,” he told VOD.

“Why do we have to count it as five floors? Because the ground floor is not counted. [It] is not counted as a floor, and the rooftop, it is called a terrace. That is not counted as a floor,” he said.

The lawyer admitted that the builders started construction before receiving a permit, but said that they were just laying the foundation.

“In fact, the construction had been done after requested but the request was not decided … because there was a negotiation with the authorities,” Sam Onn said.

“The construction within those few months was just the preparation of the land and it did not mean that the construction had started five months before requesting permission,” he added.

Sam Onn also said his clients would not accept criminal responsibility, since they were not responsible for the technical construction work, but they would pay civil compensation.

In the aftermath of the 36 deaths, Land Management Minister Chea Sophara created an 11-member ad hoc group to assess the quality of the building’s construction.

Land management official Puthi Manin said he had participated in the assessment and the results had been sent up the government chain of command.

The group found that only eight steel reinforcing rods were used in the construction of each concrete pillar while building standards called for 16 steel rods in each pillar, according to Puthi Manin.

Cement plaster intended for walls was also found to have been used for the floor slabs, he said.

In addition, the removal of support scaffolding too soon also contributed to the building collapse, Puthi Manin said.

Sam Onn, the lawyer, said the building, which was valued at more than $400,000, was developed on a plot of about 600 square meters and was built for his clients’ five children.

However, Kep provincial governor Ken Satha expressed doubt that the building was meant to house the owners’ family, claiming it was built for a commercial purpose.

“It is a communal accommodation,” like a condo, Satha said. “That is already a commercial building.”

He said the couple had also built and operated a guesthouse in Preah Sihanouk province.
https://vodenglish.news/collapsed-build ... cials-say/
(Translated and edited from the original article on VOD Khmer)

A review has concluded that shoddy materials were to blame for the accident, but who was responsible ? The owners, the architect, the construction company, the local officials that issued the permit, the building inspectors who did not inspect ?
The construction manager and his children died in the building collapse. The owners have been released on bail and the governor of Kep has many friends.
So, unfortunately, it seems likely that the owners will pay out compensation for the victims, but the officials will not be held accountible, and the lack of oversight on building constructions in Cambodia will carry on as usual.

January 14, 2020
Shoddy construction blamed for Kep building collapse
A government working group investigating the deadly building collapse in Kep province yesterday blamed shoddy construction, including the use of poor quality pillars, for the incident.

Tep Thon, a secretary of state at the Land Management Ministry and head of the working group, yesterday said poor quality cement was used to coat iron bars which supported the seven-storey building.

“The construction of the building was not done according to technical standards. For example, the southwestern pillars were too weak to support the building,” Mr Thon said. “Based on technical standards, the [contractor] needs to use 16 iron bars but he used only eight iron bars to support each pillar.”

“The workers also said that they mixed the cement used to coat the pillars by hand instead of using cement mixers as is standard practice,” he said.

He also confirmed reports saying the building’s construction started before approval was given by the provincial administration.

Asked why the authorities allowed the contractor to construct the building before getting approval, Mr Thon blamed such incidents on the builders themselves.

“It is normal practice for Khmer builders to start working on buildings as soon as possible, even if the law requires them to ask for permission first because the date for construction to start had already been set. We can’t blame them,” he said.

Mr Thon refused to say who would be held responsible for the collapse.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50679407/s ... g-collapse

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 6:00 pm “It is normal practice for Khmer builders to start working on buildings as soon as possible, even if the law requires them to ask for permission first because the date for construction to start had already been set. We can’t blame them,” he said.

Mr Thon refused to say who would be held responsible for the collapse.

I see, the secretary of state Mr Thon basically says: "Disobeying the law is perfectly OK!"

The Kingdom of Wonder strikes again.

Fucking disgusting, 36 people got killed. And that after the shit show in Sihanoukville. All the officials and the owner should be held accountable.

never going to happen in a country were money means more than lives/

January 30, 2020
Working group finishes disbursing Kep building collapse donations

The government working group in charge of collecting donations to support families of victims of the deadly building collapse in Kep province has wrapped up its task on Tuesday.

The group collected $2.2 million and has distributed the money to survivors and the families of those who died in the January 3 incident.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference to end rescue operations at the scene early this month, Prime Minister HE announced that the families of those who died in the collapse would each get $50,000 raised by the government and donors.

He noted that those who survived would get $10,000 each while seven victims who were trapped under the rubble for several hours would receive $20,000 each. He also said he hopes the payout will help ease the suffering and difficulties of victims who were injured and the families of the deceased.

Seng Tieng, Mr HE’s personal assistant who was in charge of the donation collection, confirmed yesterday that all the dead victims’ families and the survivors received the appropriation.

A total of 36 people, including children, were killed and 23 were injured after the collapse of the seven-storey building in Kep city on January 3.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50685220/w ... -donations

PIEMAN wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:44 am never going to happen in a country were money means more than lives/

WHat? you mean like the gremnfell tower diaster in the Uk where the enquiry is busy absolving the council, the plannign officials and the fire brigade? Corruption and bad practice in the buildign industry is rampant, world wide and noone truly responsible ever gets punished

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2020 7:15 pm January 30, 2020
Working group finishes disbursing Kep building collapse donations

The government working group in charge of collecting donations to support families of victims of the deadly building collapse in Kep province has wrapped up its task on Tuesday.

The group collected $2.2 million and has distributed the money to survivors and the families of those who died in the January 3 incident.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference to end rescue operations at the scene early this month, Prime Minister HE announced that the families of those who died in the collapse would each get $50,000 raised by the government and donors.

He noted that those who survived would get $10,000 each while seven victims who were trapped under the rubble for several hours would receive $20,000 each. He also said he hopes the payout will help ease the suffering and difficulties of victims who were injured and the families of the deceased.

Seng Tieng, Mr HE’s personal assistant who was in charge of the donation collection, confirmed yesterday that all the dead victims’ families and the survivors received the appropriation.

A total of 36 people, including children, were killed and 23 were injured after the collapse of the seven-storey building in Kep city on January 3.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50685220/w ... -donations

My Abacus is not working properly,,,, can someone do some adding up for me .