Somsak to inspect Thai Pavilion at Osaka Expo following criticism
Somsak to inspect Thai Pavilion at Osaka Expo after critics slam its presentation as subpar and unfit for a global stage.
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Tuesday that he would visit the Thai Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo 2025 to see for himself whether its presentation was as poor as alleged by some Thai firms.
Somsak stated he would personally inspect the presentation, organised by the Department of Health Service Support, following accusations on social media that it failed to meet international standards.
Among the critics were Dr Anchalin Pannika, president of TQM Alpha Plc, and Kriengkrai Kanjanapokin, founder and CEO of Index Creative Village Plc. They described the pavilion’s display as resembling a school project and not up to the standards of a global event.
The project was awarded to RMA One Hundred Ten Joint Venture at a cost of 867.8 million baht.
Somsak maintained that the project had been awarded to the winning bidder through proper procedures. He added that if he found any aspect of the presentation lacking, he would instruct the contractor to make improvements.
The minister revealed that the contractor had already withdrawn 60% of the budget in eight instalments. The remaining 40% is yet to be disbursed and will be paid in two further instalments.
Somsak noted that if the presentation was found to be of lower quality or incomplete compared to the specifications stated in the contract, the hiring committee might consider reducing the final payments.
He acknowledged that the criticism might have come from companies that had failed to win the bid but insisted that the selected contractor was still obliged to deliver a high-quality result and make every effort to ensure success.
Somsak explained that the bidding process had been expedited and conducted through a specific invitation method, as the Japanese government required Thailand to finalise a contractor by 31 October 2023.
“At that time, we had fewer than 40 days left after the second round of bidding was cancelled,” he said.
He added that it would be impossible for the Public Health Ministry to cancel the remaining payments entirely, as the contractor is also responsible for dismantling the pavilion after the expo.
“Anyway, we’ll have to see what we can do—rather than doing nothing,” Somsak said, in response to a question about whether the company would be fined if the work was found to be below standard.
