Shoddy palace upgrade upsets Surapong

News > Local News

HERITAGE

Shoddy palace upgrade upsets Surapong

Published: 5 Oct 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul expressed disappointment over repairs to Saranrom Palace, which used to house the Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul points at flaws on a wall inside Saranrom Palace. The old palace, which used to house the Foreign Ministry, has been renovated to serve as the ministry’s museum and reception facility.

The minister on Wednesday led a team of ministry officials and members of the press to inspect the work inside Saranrom Palace built during the reign of King Rama IV.

This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.

Forum

Your comments

Khun Ken
Post : 64
Send message

Discussion 29 : 05 Oct 2012 at 15.4929
Post this to my Facebook
Christiani & Nielsen, ok now I know whom not to contact if I want a house built.
Like dislike 5 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
musashi
Post : 450
Send message

Discussion 28 : 05 Oct 2012 at 14.2628
Post this to my Facebook
soltair #25: corruption is inevitable as long as humans are the ones doing deals. But the temptation to give or receive bribes can be curtailed if the necessary laws are enacted and enforced - similar to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, and the UK Bribery Act 2010.

Unfortunately for us here, such laws are hard to implement in a country where the feudal/patronage system is heavily enforced by the powers that be. Hopefully, in the very near future, some events will happen that allow Thailand to get out of this self perpetuating corrupt environment.
Like dislike 3 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
franklin
Post : 1,264
Send message

Discussion 27 : 05 Oct 2012 at 13.2727
Post this to my Facebook
Unbelievable! The government screwed themselves and they are complaining about it? Who cares?
Like dislike 4 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
RonBargie
Post : 68
Send message

Discussion 26 : 05 Oct 2012 at 12.3026
Post this to my Facebook
"The 480-million-baht renovation was carried out by Christiani & Nielsen with StoneHenge serving as a consultant."
Good grief, would you employ a company called StoneHenge as consultants?. Their other project has been in place on Salisbury Plain for 4,000 years, and they still haven't finished it. Their claim that they are still waiting for the doors and windows to be delivered is wearing a bit thin!!
Like dislike 5 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
soltair
Post : 799
Send message

Discussion 25 : 05 Oct 2012 at 11.4325
Post this to my Facebook
musashi # 2, I stand corrected, my earlier comment should read "C&N WAS a reputable company". So now everything else falls in place as well. I guess 70% of the population is in agreement, as this is the result of corruption.
Like dislike 1 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
joninnak
Post : 358
Send message

Discussion 24 : 05 Oct 2012 at 11.0724
Post this to my Facebook
It's about time all government departments employ competent Clerks of Works to ensure integrity of all construction. He gets a very good salary, which will in turn pay for its self. The CoW puts his name to the finished job then if things do go wrong they can be traced.
Like dislike 5 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
bikeme
Post : 1,111
Send message

Discussion 23 : 05 Oct 2012 at 10.5023
Post this to my Facebook
So the first question, did that interior damage occur after the exterior repairs were done ... or was it there beforehand? The contractor claims it was hired for exterior work only and Surapong doesn't seem to deny their claim, so what was the interior like before the repair work started. Need more info, not a Surapong photo op.

Of course if you figure on how long it takes to organize, let out for bid and confirm a government contract ... and we can probably safely assume the coup leaders didn't start that type project ... guess whose government let the contract and got the tea money from the "winning" bidder.
Like dislike 4 people liked / 1 people disliked this comment
kasper
Post : 602
Send message

Discussion 22 : 05 Oct 2012 at 09.3422
Post this to my Facebook
The reason all jobs ordered by the government are so expensive is of course that the contractor has to pay the first 30-40-50% as bribes to officials. They therefore need to add this amount to the total contract price.
Secondly, in order to pay the officials, the contractor will normally ask for most if not all of the payment for the contract in advance, as the officials will want their bribes in advance.
Third, I think most of us know that the service level in Thailand drops drastically after one has paid. This is of course no different with government projects. So after the government has paid for the project, both the responsible officials who have received their bribes, and the contractor who has received payment, lose interest in the project.
Like dislike 16 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
bkk-farang
Post : 2,304
Send message

Discussion 21 : 05 Oct 2012 at 09.2821
Post this to my Facebook
We all know what the foreign minister did since he has his job. It started with a passport for a fugitive…
Maybe Surapong could have inspected the constructions site every few weeks and there is a good chance that he would have discovered the problems earlier. This is no excuse for bad work but everybody in Thailand knows that you have to watch every single step even from very small projects. If you don’t then don’t be surprised when you get something different from what you imagined.
But obviously Surapong had more important things to do…
Like dislike 10 people liked / 4 people disliked this comment
hyponeros
Post : 102
Send message

Discussion 20 : 05 Oct 2012 at 09.2220
Post this to my Facebook
Feel the cost of corruption!
Like dislike 16 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment

1 2 3 Next Last

Shoddy palace upgrade upsets Surapong | Bangkok Post: news