MahaNakhon - Thailand's tallest building could be illegal

[webfact]

Thailand's tallest building could be illegal
 

Image: Source Internet

  

BANGKOK, 1 September 2016 (NNT) - The Association of Organizations Protecting the Thai Constitution submitted a letter asking the Office of the Ombudsman to probe the construction of Thailand’s tallest building ‘MahaNakhon’, after it was found in breach of several laws. 

Srisuwan Janya, the Association’s Secretary-General, urged the Ombudsman to investigate why the Ministries of Commerce and Labor allegedly allowed a foreign architect to design the building.

 

He claimed the construction violated the 1999 Foreign Business Act and the 2008 Alien Working Act, after he found that a foreign national could have been hired to work on a job restricted to Thai citizens. 

Mr. Srisuwan wanted the Ombudsman to investigate whether it was a negligence of duty on the part of the Labor Minister and the Director-General of the Department of Employment.

 

He also called for an examination of the building's blueprints, which was submitted to the Bangkok Governor for approval. He speculated that a Thai name may have been used as a stand-in for the foreign architect.

 

-- nnt 2016-09-01

[Crossy]

Oops!

 

[dageurreotype]

This is all such bs a British architect built my house and several well known resorts here. Much ado about sweet sod all other than to show the Thais in an increasingly xenophobic light which helps neither them nor their wished for investors. Grow the <deleted> up ..

[Anthony5]

The xenophobia reaches new height levels.

 

The reason they hired a foreign designer was probably because they wanted it to be properly designed.

[JerryinTH]

But but but I will buy an Elite Visa and then all Thais will love me, right? 

[anotheruser]

What were they supposed to do hire a Thai architect? They obviously knew that the only way to get this done was to hire a foreigner. So they went with one of the top designers in the world and bent the rules to do so. What are they going to do about it now, knock it down? 

[Lammbock]

As usually. "Farang no good" 

[Rancid]

Interesting looking building. The only real surprise would be if no laws had been circumvented.

[anotheruser]

16 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

But but but I will buy an Elite Visa and then all Thais will love me, right? 

 

Not sure what that has to do with the topic. Probably be a few people with elite visas living in that building though. 

 

To satisfy the people they should tear it down and replace it with something less of an eyesore like this....

[apalink_thailand]

Great. Soon to be Thailand's tallest abandoned building.

[Thechook]

Demolish it and save face

[Cuchulainn]

Much rather sit in a skyscraper designed by a Brit than some clown of a Thai

[anotheruser]

Except for the fact the architect is German.

[claffey]

Hold on a minute! If a non national was working illegally in say for example, Britain, what would happen? Would everyone say" Its OK because there are other people doing it too"? I realise that the group complaining are xenophobic but if a law was broken they have a valid point...

[OMGImInPattaya]

Is the maximum height for buildings set forth in the Constitution? If so, that's a mighty detailed new constitution.

[tomacht8]

That's nonsense.
The designer can work from home in Europe and create the plans.
The investor buys then only the blueprints.
With that logic, should, for example, not a single computer program run here.
All are designed by foreigners and are used in Thailand.
 

[anotheruser]

11 minutes ago, claffey said:

Hold on a minute! If a non national was working illegally in say for example, Britain, what would happen? Would everyone say" Its OK because there are other people doing it too"? I realise that the group complaining are xenophobic but if a law was broken they have a valid point...

 

I see what you mean but the law that was broken is a law that is broken. Such laws in Britain wouldn't be legal in the first place so you can't compare it that way. Instead of trying to enforce such laws they should just acknowledge the guy built arguably the most iconic building in the country and hope other foreign architects also help contribute to beautiful designs so Thailand will at least have some unique skylines.

 

As far as architects in Britain how do you think designed The Shard? It wasn't a Brit. Thailand needs to decide if they want to stick to outdated regulations that discriminate against the top minds in their respective fields, or if they want investments and designs worth billions and trillions of Baht to be carried out.

[gandalf12]

The subject of the movie "The Village" is starting to be more noticeable if anyone remembers what it was about

[DavisH]

57 minutes ago, Lammbock said:

As usually. "Farang no good" 

Farang too good...more like it.

[boomerangutang]

Another type of work not allowed for farang:

 

Typesetting books or newspapers in Thai font, using lead letters.  If I catch you doing it, you will be reported to proper authorities (United Thai Typesetters).

 

In my town of Chiang Rai, there's actually a desk with about 200 cubby holes, each with its own specific letter or sela or garun or whatever. Imagine doing that job?  Each Thai letter is tiny, and there are about 70 for each font size.   

[impulse]

1 hour ago, dageurreotype said:

This is all such bs a British architect built my house.....

 

And what was that address, please?

[CanInBKK]

28 minutes ago, claffey said:

Hold on a minute! If a non national was working illegally in say for example, Britain, what would happen? Would everyone say" Its OK because there are other people doing it too"? I realise that the group complaining are xenophobic but if a law was broken they have a valid point...

 

I guess you and I are the only ones on this thread (and maybe all of TV) that believe in playing by the rules. 

 

(If you disagree with the rules, change them, don't break them. I'm sure the reason why this law stands to this day is that very few foreign architects have gathered to protest it at Sanam Luang)

[tomyummer]

They should have let a Thai architect design it. Then you can get another elephant building to match the one in Lardprao!

[anotheruser]

12 minutes ago, CanInBKK said:

 

I guess you and I are the only ones on this thread (and maybe all of TV) that believe in playing by the rules. 

 

(If you disagree with the rules, change them, don't break them. I'm sure the reason why this law stands to this day is that very few foreign architects have gathered to protest it at Sanam Luang)

 

Right because Thailand was built by playing by the rules. If the rules in Thailand were never bent nothing would ever get done. It isn't that black and white.

[manarak]

Quote

The Association of Organizations Protecting the Thai Constitution submitted a letter asking the Office of the Ombudsman to probe the construction of Thailand’s tallest building ‘MahaNakhon’, after it was found in breach of several laws. 

Srisuwan Janya, the Association’s Secretary-General

 

Mr. Srisuwan has seriously shot himself in the foot with that one...

[madmitch]

There are probably dozens of buildings in Thailand designed by foreign architects. I pointed out in another thread (there really are too many!) that the Magnolias Waterfront, which will be around the same size as this one, has Lord Norman Foster's company as architects.

 

Thailand really does need to enter the real world as this type of xenophobia is exacerbating an already tarnished image.

 

 

 

[DM07]

Oh, what the #$@%!

Seriously?

 

[NCC1701A]

Ok let remove everything in Thailand designed my a Farang. You go out and collect everything the military has. You go collect all the police stuff. You go get all the computers and IT stuff. You go get all the cars. You go to the airport. Shut it down. You trains. Cellphones. 7/11. KFC. The malls. The BTS. Shut down the Thai cable TV satellite.

[Mook23]

Pesky foreigner again. Only Thai can fraud.  Bad farang.  Bad. Bad. Maybe they can force the architect to publicly apologise on TV while a few clowns are pointing at him...  555555555555

[Mook23]

11 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

Ok let remove everything in Thailand designed my a Farang. You go out and collect everything the military has. You go collect all the police stuff. You go get all the computers and IT stuff. You go get all the cars. You go to the airport. Shut it down. You trains. Cellphones. 7/11. KFC. The malls. The BTS. Shut down the Thai cable TV satellite.

 

All that was invented,  designed and made by Thai people while inferior neighbouring countries were ruled by bad bad farlangs and supreme Thai rulers held autonomy thx to their unique level of intelligence and critical thinking... LOL