The collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in the March 28 earthquake continues to uncover the rot within the construction industry.
The latest development was on Sunday when veteran engineer Somkiat Chusangsuk lodged a complaint with police, professing his name had falsely been used in design amendment documents related to the elevator shaft at the SAO building.
He claimed the fraudulent use of his name as the project manager was a way to cut costs and lend credibility to the 2.1-billion-baht project.
Mr Somkiat's claims add to the growing scandal over the disaster, which has killed over 40 people that we know about, with more still missing.
At the same time, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is investigating contractors China Railway No.10 Engineering Group, local Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), and subcontractors hired to build the SAO building.
The probe covers bid-rigging and violation of the Foreign Business Act by China Railway No.10 Engineering Group by using nominees to open a construction firm.
For industry experts, the accusations are shocking but not beyond expectations. It has become common for some contractors in Thailand to violate the law, desert jobs, or deliver poor work quality without fear of the consequences.
Despite a boom in construction businesses, Thailand remains one of the few countries without a regulatory body overseeing the industry.
In practice, any investor with enough cash and equipment can walk into the Ministry of Commerce and apply to open a construction company. Foreign investors can open such companies and run businesses in Thailand if more than 50% of the shareowners are Thais. Construction firms have no legal requirements to hire in-house engineers, architects, or experts. Contractors can hire licensed engineers and architects to build projects or outsource their work to subcontractors.
Such disarray is not the case for countries with regulatory bodies overseeing the industry. Look no further than Singapore, with its Building and Construction Authority (BCA), a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the government of Singapore.
The BCA helps regulate and ensure buildings are designed and built as per the regulatory system while upholding good governance and high safety standards.
The body also helps raise the construction industry's skill levels and professionalism while seeking to protect consumers' interests.
There is no specific regulatory body to oversee and audit construction companies in Thailand. There are professional councils responsible for issuing a professional licence to individual engineers and there is a move by the Comptroller General's Department to pass a law blacklisting contractors in public projects that violate laws and contracts by the end of this year but more needs to be done.
Meanwhile, engineers and professional associations in Thailand have tried establishing a neutral regulatory body, such as the Council of Contractors, for years to regulate performance and standards, but the attempts have failed.
The accusations of corruption and substandard work related to the collapsed SAO building and the many accidents at construction sites should be enough for Thailand to push for a regulatory body like Singapore's.
Our contractors have been left to their own devices, and the outcome has been disastrous.