Thailand’s opposition grouping the People’s Party and a coalition of civic organisations have submitted a petition to Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, asking her to withdraw two parliamentary bills that would respectively legalise resorts with casinos, and online gambling.
Ms Shinawatra was suspended on Tuesday by the country’s Constitutional Court, from her role as prime minister of the Pheu Thai-backed coalition government, but remains leader of the party, according to a Thursday report in the Bangkok Post.
Thanakorn Khomkrit, secretary-general of a body called the Stop Gambling Foundation, was among those that went to Government House on Wednesday to present formally the bills-withdrawal petition.
“If these [casino] policies are truly important, Pheu Thai should propose them as part of their platform in the next election and let the public decide,” he was cited as saying.
Mr Thanakorn is already on record supporting a national referendum on the legalisation of ‘entertainment complexes’ each to have a casino. A 53,900-signature petition was submitted to the country’s Election Commission last month on that topic.
Thursday’s Bangkok Post article cited People Party’s MP and spokesman Parit Wacharasindhu, urging the Thai government to withdraw the entertainment complex bill, considering the concerns that had been raised by opposition parties and the public.
Mr Parit also criticised the government for what he termed failing to pass a resolution to withdraw the entertainment complex bill from the National Assembly’s upcoming agenda.
Hence, the entertainment complex bill was still scheduled to be the first item for debate when the lower chamber of parliament, the House of Representatives, reconvenes on July 9, Mr Parit suggested.
On Monday, it had been reported that a formal reading of the entertainment complex bill was to be delayed by “about one month”, from a previously-mentioned date of July 9.
