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Discussion 1 : 05/10/2012 at 03:49 PM

Christiani & Nielsen, ok now I know whom not to contact if I want a house built.

Discussion 2 : 05/10/2012 at 02:26 PM

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.

Discussion 3 : 05/10/2012 at 01:27 PM

Unbelievable! The government screwed themselves and they are complaining about it? Who cares?

Discussion 4 : 05/10/2012 at 12:30 PM

"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!!

Discussion 5 : 05/10/2012 at 11:43 AM

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.

Discussion 6 : 05/10/2012 at 11:07 AM

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.

Discussion 7 : 05/10/2012 at 10:50 AM

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.

Discussion 8 : 05/10/2012 at 09:34 AM

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.

Discussion 9 : 05/10/2012 at 09:28 AM

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…

Discussion 10 : 05/10/2012 at 09:22 AM

Feel the cost of corruption!

Discussion 11 : 05/10/2012 at 09:19 AM

The same occurs all of the time with road and sidewalk repairs. The job goes up for bids, shoddy work is done and then repeat the process a year later. Great way to launder tax money.

Discussion 12 : 05/10/2012 at 08:59 AM

Amazing how a government agency complains when they get ripped off...now you guys now how the greater majority of Thais feel....if you dont like it, do something about it and clean up your own act first.

Discussion 13 : 05/10/2012 at 08:51 AM

@D6 LookMoo you make it sound so sinister, but things like this happen all the time in the western world. Interesting though that the article you quoted was updated on Wikipedia not so long ago, but the article doesn't seem to tell us much about the company, especially it's time during WWII which led to the company being blacklisted.

Discussion 14 : 05/10/2012 at 08:39 AM

This is not sub-standard work this is the standard of work in many if not most of the jobs done by construction companies working for the Government and private clients; and we know why don’t we?

Discussion 15 : 05/10/2012 at 08:37 AM

" low-quality labourers." yup, that will do it. Too much corruption, too much wasted time, and too many unskilled laborers. And they wonder why there is a problem?

Discussion 16 : 05/10/2012 at 08:34 AM

Fraudulent companies and unskilled labour, sounds about right to me.

Discussion 17 : 05/10/2012 at 08:26 AM

AusieJohn #1, It sounds more than the present "team" did not get any, it all went to the 2008 "team". In the end it still cost to have the hand over papers signed and the money was up? C&C is a reputable company, bet you they don't get their last payment now.

Discussion 18 : 05/10/2012 at 08:09 AM

Why is the Foreign Minister complaining, as this is just a classic example of workmanship by Builders in Thailand. Anything from Swampy Airport to Housing Estates, the contractors use sub-standard materials, take shortcuts, don't follow the plans, and never finish off a job completely. So why should this project be any different, to any other building project in Thailand? It is a pity that it's on a Palace, but it just goes to show the pride that building contractors in Thailand, take in their work.

Discussion 19 : 05/10/2012 at 08:07 AM

I can't refrain, sorry. Substandard work for substandard government. Fits!

Discussion 20 : 05/10/2012 at 07:53 AM

Of course it was a corrupt contract, BUT if the interior renovation was really excluded from the contract then the ministry got want it asked for.

Discussion 21 : 05/10/2012 at 07:17 AM

When corruption is standard, workmanship is substandard. With 480 million Baht others (than the governmentt) build a whole housing estate. And with 74 million Land & House (and some others) builds you some top quality houses, not just a bit inner renovation. Every time the government is in charge, the numbers and amounts of Baht seem to come from another galaxy.

Discussion 22 : 05/10/2012 at 06:10 AM

Well, somebody must have made a contract with this company in 2008, should not be that difficult to establish the paper trail and sort out the problem, but it does not really look very good at the photo.

Discussion 23 : 05/10/2012 at 06:02 AM

Given the rampant corruption in all aspects of life in Thailand, can one really be surprised with the outcome. 480 Baht budgeted for the project. One third for corruption. Why were unskilled workers hired in the first place? At the end of the day, the government will put in more money to be wasted on FOG (Friends of Government.

Discussion 24 : 05/10/2012 at 05:39 AM

From Wikpedia: The Christiani & Nielsen company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1991. In December 1992 it completed a reverse takeover of its publicly listed Danish parent company – the first such transaction in Thai business history. The Thai management succeeded in taking over the mother company without paying the full price by claiming bankruptcy in the process. The result of this is that the company today uses the lucrative brand of Christiani & Nielsen without having paid the families of the founders. .... a rip of from start.

Discussion 25 : 05/10/2012 at 05:22 AM

If the contractor discovered problems that would prevent completion of the project with an appearance and functionality that could reasonably be expected for the usage and money provided, then it should have immediately disclosed that fact when it became known. Such a notification should have an ample paper trail to verify their concerns as well as a rejection of such concerns. In absence of that, it is simply excuse making for poor work.

Discussion 26 : 05/10/2012 at 05:22 AM

Have a look around any large new department store, especially the bits at the back or under something and you will see exactly the same sort of shoddy construction as shown here.

Discussion 27 : 05/10/2012 at 05:05 AM

Why is this news? Does the government have a facility department that takes care of these things? Is there a team of people that managed this project? Project manager? Wasn't a contract written? Warranties? etc. Why is this newsworthy for the public to read?

Discussion 28 : 05/10/2012 at 04:45 AM

The government can only blame itself for appointing CNT and overpaying them for the expensive renovation. Investors stay away from companies such as CNT because of the "character" of the key executives and major shareholders. Likewise, the government should have been more prudent before appointing contractors. In the early 1990s, the Thai management team of Christiani & Nielsen Thai (CNT) ran the company to the ground, cited bankruptcy and did a reverse takeover of the publicly listed Danish parent company on the cheap (more like an MBO). They shamelessly continued using the lucrative brand of Christiani & Nielsen without having paid the families of the founders a single cent. And in the 1997 economic crisis, the same management team disposed of numerous business entities and failed investments at the expense of the banks. CNT is basically a shell making money for certain key shareholders (not the public shareholders) who in the first place became shareholders because they had earlier bankrupted the company.

Discussion 29 : 05/10/2012 at 04:41 AM

Sounds like someones taken more than the unofficial 30% cut...