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The Thai government has indefinitely withdrawn a bill legalising casinos amid political shockwaves and a flailing legislative campaign.
The Thai Cabinet withdrew the Entertainment Complex Bill in a unanimous decision on Tuesday (July 8), a concession that growing legislative opposition and wider political instability would doom the draft legislation.
Deputy finance minister Julapun Amornvivat told reporters that putting the bill on ice is a strategic move and that it will be reintroduced at an appropriate time after further public consultation and promotional work.
“While I personally feel regretful, as the delay could result in Thailand losing opportunities to restructure tourism, I believe that when the bill is reconsidered, it will be approved,” Julapun said.
“The government already holds a majority in parliament, and I have not heard of any coalition party opposing or planning to vote against it.”
Members of the ruling Pheu Thai Party earlier put on a bullish face over the tactic, with chief government whip Wisut Chainarun telling the Bangkok Post on Monday that “there is no need for anyone to protest or rally over this matter. Please go home and relax.
“Discussions have already been held within the party, and I reiterate that the withdrawal is not being made out of fear.
“Now that [debate on the bill] has reached its peak, we believe it is appropriate to withdraw the bill for the time being. There is no loss of face.
“If anyone still has concerns, the government remains open to listening,” Wisut said.
However, Pheu Thai Party’s former coalition partner and casino bill opponent, the Bhumjaithai Party, was scornful in its response to the withdrawal.
Following government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub’s formal announcement of the bill’s withdrawal on Tuesday, a Bhumjaithai spokesperson called the move a “political tactic” to bail out the bill from defeat and avoid a potential dissolution of parliament.
Bhumjaithai spokesperson Boonthida Somchai added that enough government politicians were likely to vote against the bill to overturn the ruling coalition’s shrinking majority in the chamber.
The government’s caution on the casino bill follows weeks of scandal after former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen undermined his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, by releasing an audio tape of a recent conversation between them.
Among numerous embarrassing comments for the Thai prime minister was her criticism of the Thai military over a deadly border clash in late May.
Hun Sen also castigated Paetongtarn and her father in lengthy and aggressive public comments that amounted to a campaign of destabilisation against the powerful Shinawatra family.
The incident led to the withdrawal of the Bhumjaithai Party from the ruling coalition, leaving the government with a fragile majority, and triggered Paetongtarn’s suspension last week by the Constitutional Court, though she remains in Cabinet with a lesser portfolio.
With a rejigged Cabinet in place and the interior minister acting as prime minister until the court concludes its probe into Paetongtarn, the casino bill has been temporarily stripped of its more enthusiastic advocates among senior Thai politicians.
However, the withdrawal may also allow the bill’s supporters to reconsider a number of provisions in the text that threatened the viability of the initiative even before the Hun Sen scandal.
These include a casino floor ban for all but the wealthiest of Thais and minimum investment of 100bn baht ($3.1bn) for each project.
The government is also yet to develop a strategy that would insulate casino operations from retaliation by Beijing over the presence of Chinese nationals in Thai casinos, a scenario at the centre of a thinly veiled warning from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Paetongtarn in February.
Thailand Hunts Hun Sen Ally
Meanwhile, a Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for Kok An, a powerful businessman, casino operator, former Cambodian senator and Hun Sen associate whose real estate interests in the border town of Poipet allegedly house cyber-scamming operations targeting Thai nationals.
The Bangkok Post reported on Tuesday that the Thai Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau secured the arrest warrant over alleged organised cybercrime activity amid police raids at 19 Thai properties in Bangkok and two other cities allegedly linked to Kok An’s business empire.
Cambodian People’s Party spokesperson Chea Thyrith on Tuesday told the Khmer Times that the arrest warrant is a “ploy” to attack the Cambodian government over “fabricated stories of cybercrimes and scam centres operating in Cambodia”.
