Senator Nantana led new senators wearing safety helmets to criticize the 20-billion baht parliament building as unsafe after a fresh ceiling collapse. They identified as many as 101 risk points and urged that contractors should not be spared at the expense of proper standards being neglected.
At 11:30 a.m. on 14 September 2026 at the parliament, a group of new senators led by Senator Nantana Nantawaropas, together with Mr. Suntorn Pruksapipat, Navy Lieutenant Wutipong Pongsuwan, Mr. Pornchai Witayalertpan, Ms. Maneerat Khemawong, and former Bangkok MP Wilas Chanpitak, held a press conference regarding the issue. The ceiling in the cafeteria on the B2 floor of the parliament building had collapsed. This incident occurred on 13 September.
Senator Nantana wore a safety helmet before speaking, saying that to safely walk around the parliament, one would need to wear a helmet due to the recent ceiling collapse in the cafeteria used by MPs, senators, parliamentary staff, media, and all personnel, all facing risks. She recalled that on 7 July, they had warned about the expiration of the building's two-year warranty on 15 July 2024, noting issues then such as flooding in the B2 parking area, broken toilets, cracked walls, leaking ceilings, and fallen ceiling panels. They had spoken about these problems two years ago but no one took action to fix them.
However, after 19 August 2026, when the parliamentary president inspected the building and noted extensive deterioration, calling for funds to repair it, the question was raised why the construction contractor, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited, was not called in to fix the problems before the warranty expired. The current safety of people in parliament was at risk. On 10 September, a monk also fell into the parliament’s Emerald Pond.
Senator Nantana continued that even during parliamentary meetings, when it rains, staff must hold buckets to catch water dripping from the ceiling or air conditioning leaks. Dead rats have fallen into the Emerald Pond and various animals swim there during floods, damaging Thailand's image. Since the Thai parliament is the second largest government office worldwide, after the U.S. Pentagon, she called for urgent repairs to protect those working there from floods, broken toilets, and ceiling collapses.
Mr. Suntorn said he is an engineer who has consistently raised safety concerns about parliament, finding risks from fire hazards, water leaks, broken doors, and ceiling collapses. At 6:30 a.m. that day, he went to inspect the B2 area but found it closed off. He suspects the air conditioning system leaked water onto the ceiling, causing it to collapse under weight. Additionally, faulty sewage pumps caused water to flood the B2 parking lot because the pump that discharged water into the Chao Phraya River was broken. They fear that rising river levels could cause more flooding on B2.
He also noted cracks around the tiles of the Emerald Pond and warned authorities about many risk points. However, officials seem hesitant to confront contractors. He urged an immediate structural and safety inspection for everyone’s protection and stressed the importance of preventing repeated accidents. “Do not let the parliament, meaning 'a place of good deeds,' become a place of wrongdoing or corruption,” he said.
Mr. Pornchai revealed that many foreign guests use the parliament regularly. Statistically, Thailand’s parliament might be the most accident-prone government building due to construction issues. He asked who would be responsible if anyone died and proposed transparency before the 60-day warranty expiration, checking who signed off on construction. He also recommended forming an independent external committee to inspect risk points inside parliament and establishing a joint task force of MPs and senators to monitor substandard work and identify those accountable. He further emphasized the need for transparency and accountability through independent inspections and cooperation between legislators to track defective work and hold responsible parties accountable.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wilas stated that ceiling collapses and water leaks have occurred over ten times but many went unreported. For example, on 1 July 2024, the ceiling fell in the main seminar room adjacent to the B2 cafeteria where the recent collapse happened. Even though the contractor claimed 100% project completion on 4 September 2023, on 4 July 2024 the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives signed off on 100% completion based on the inspection committee's report despite the recent ceiling collapse. He has filed a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission citing Section 157 violations.
The parliament had previously invited representatives from the Engineering Institute of Thailand under Royal Patronage to inspect the building, who found as many as 101 risk points (91 high risk and 10 medium risk). They urged the parliamentary president to promptly address these issues and seek damages from the contractor instead of using new public funds for repairs.
Senator Nantana concluded that parliamentary officials asked them to limit comments to the ceiling collapse issue. Therefore, she plans to invite Mr. Wilas to explain the risk points inside parliament in more detail at a later occasion and called on the parliamentary president to urgently address the problems. She argued that new public funds should not be used but rather compensation should be demanded from the contractor. Normally, large building projects carry a 10-year warranty, but the parliament, built at a cost exceeding 22 billion baht, has only a two-year warranty. She said their investigation aims to ensure transparency and restore the dignity of the Thai parliament.