Compensation for victims of the OAG building collapse nears one year; hopes vanish beneath the rubble. The Lawyers Council provides initial compensation of 1 million baht per victim, noting that after the case quieted down, locating relatives has been difficult because most of the deceased were migrant workers whose families do not reside in Thailand.
Approaching the first anniversary of the new OAG building collapse, today (2 Mar 2026), partial compensation was granted to the last group of 13 missing persons' relatives, each receiving 1 million baht. Most of them are Myanmar nationals. This was coordinated by the Lawyers Council, with Mr. Thanapon Kongchiang, President of the Lawyers Council, presiding over the humanitarian compensation handover to the heirs of the deceased.
Malinee Watcharasin, Secretary of the Committee on Compensation Payments at the Lawyers Council, said that the collapse of the new OAG building on 28 March 2025, approaching its one-year anniversary, led the council to assist relatives of the missing. There were 96 deaths and 9 injuries, including 65 Thai workers, 35 Myanmar, 3 Cambodian, and 1 Laotian.
Tracing relatives for initial compensation has been quite difficult because most of the workers were from neighboring countries, many of whom no longer worked in Thailand but returned to their home countries after their family members died in the OAG building collapse. The challenge is to verify that those individuals are truly relatives entitled to benefits from the deceased.
This initial compensation of 1 million baht per relative is humanitarian and separate from any legal compensation. If there are future legal claims, these can be pursued, and the Lawyers Council is prepared to act as an intermediary to assist with legal proceedings.
The Lawyers Council team explained that locating the last group of missing relatives, mostly Myanmar nationals, has been challenging because many returned to their home countries, complicating follow-up. Further legal proceedings will be monitored going forward.
The ceremony was witnessed by representatives from related agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Rights and Liberties Protection, the Special Investigation Unit, the Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to Thailand, and representatives from the ITD-CREC joint venture.
The Lawyers Council has continuously coordinated the tracing of heirs to ensure full compensation. The ITD-CREC joint venture provided 1 million baht per deceased and 200,000 baht per injured person, with this event marking the final payment installment.
The Myanmar Ambassador expressed gratitude to all parties for equitable care and compensation for the victims, reflecting strong Thai-Myanmar cooperation. Meanwhile, a representative of the deceased's relatives thanked all agencies for their assistance in securing this compensation.