Kecha said when construction mistakes became public, foreign engineers and architects were nowhere to be seen, while the Thais took the blame. Worse, when it came to righting the wrong, he felt the government had overlooked the ability of Thai technicians to solve the problems and hired a new batch of foreign engineers instead.

"It's like a slap in the face," Kecha said.

He added that it was ironic Thai engineers and contractors were being denied their due on the domestic scene even as they were gaining wider acceptance in the international arena.

Sopon Laosuwan, president of Thai Electrical and Mechanical Contractors Association under the EIT, cited work done by Thai contractors in the Middle East as examples. Thais were formerly known for supplying the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, with labourers, but that has now stepped up technically. Thai firms have also been active in other countries such as Bangladesh and Sudan where the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has recently helped to set up and operate a power plant as well as train local staff.

Chartchai Pisuttiboriboon, a representative of the Thai Mechanical and Electrical Design and Consulting Engineers Association, said Thailand had always been a subcontractor of choice for many multinational firms, such as Atkins, Scott Wilson and Connell Wagner. He believes this is a testament to the quality of Thai engineers and technicians.

Yet Thailand must not rest on its laurels, said Sopon. He said the Kingdom had everything in terms of engineering fundamentals except a systematic way of passing on such knowledge.

Ki Nan Tsui, The Nation