The group said they had tried to protect the reputation of the university by asking its administrators to clarify its involvement in the Bt2.3 billion exhibition, scheduled to open on Wednesday.

Asst Prof Vibool Jalanant, president of the Kasetsart University Representative Council, said he would submit a letter today demanding the acting president of the university talk to the university's executives about the project, which is under investigation by the Auditor-General's Office.

Vibool said this was his second official attempt to convince the administrative board to let the issue come out in public.

The KU Representative Council two weeks ago proposed to the administration that it hold an open forum to discuss the issue, but acting president Wattana Swanyatiputi rejected the idea. Then the Kasetsart University Alumni Association organised the forum.

"If he again denies my proposal, I don't know what to do next. I'm just doing my job," Vibool said, adding that the KU Representative Council has the duty to raise concerns and give advice to the administrators on any issue related to the university.

Kasetsart was engaged by the Agriculture Department to contract a landscaper for the exhibition and ensure the quality of the project.

The project became a probe target when it was reported that the university team allowed a representative of Nong Nooch Landscape and Gardening Design, or Suan Nong Nooch for short, to sit in on a meeting to draft the bidding terms of reference for the project. Suan Nong Nooch won with the lowest bid, but it was still a bit higher than the government's median price.

Veera Somkwamkid, chairman of the Civil Rights and Freedom Protection Group, a citizens' anti-corruption watchdog, said concrete evidence was found showing that after the tender some Kasetsart academics helped Suan Nong Nooch reduce its bid by cutting out some construction projects.

Suan Nong Nooch then became the landscaper for the exposition with a final price Bt100 million lower than the median price, he said during his presentation at the forum organised by the alumni association last Tuesday.

Instead of the university inspecting the quality of the work itself, it subcontracted the job to a company set up only 22 days before the contract was signed with the university. Veera said he found out that the company had connections with Suan Nong Nooch.

Anata Dalodom, president of the Horticultural Science Society of Thailand and a Kasetsart alumnus, said that looking at it from a positive angle, he thought that those involved in the event were too "naive" to realise that they and their university were being used.

Assoc Prof Viroch Impithuksa, who was president of the university when he signed the consulting contract with the Agriculture Department, was not available for comment.

Assoc Prof Montri Khamchoo of KU's Agricultural Engineering Department, who was head of the operation team for the project , said, "I'm not ready to talk about it now,"  when contacted by The Nation.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation