A meeting on Monday (July 7) of Thai government officials responsible for organising parliamentary voting by the current coalition government may decide on whether a bill to legalise entertainment complexes with a casino, should either be postponed or withdrawn.
That is according to The Nation newspaper, citing Friday comments from Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat.
The same news outlet cited Visuth Chainaroon, an MP for the Pheu Thai Party, a leading element in the coalition, and who is also the chief government whip, as proposing the administration withdraw the Entertainment Complex Bill from the parliamentary agenda rather than request a delay.
The suspension, announced on July 1, of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister of Thailand’s current coalition government has the potential to set back the country’s casino-resort legalisation effort, several commentators have suggested to GGRAsia. Her suspension followed controversy over a June phone call with Hun Sen, a former prime minister of Cambodia, that was subsequently leaked.
Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai assumed the role of caretaker prime minister on July 3. Ms Shinawatra has 15 days to respond the Constitutional Court after it agreed to suspend her relating to allegations of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards over the phone call.
The Thai government has also been buffeted by a mid-June decision of the Bhumjaithai Party – which had been the second-largest grouping in the coalition after Pheu Thai – to withdraw from the government, citing the leaked phone call as a factor. Bhumjaithai’s exit reduced the coalition’s majority in parliament.
Mr Julapun in his Friday comments suggested the key reasons for seeking to reconsider the bill as it stands, were a recent government reshuffle – with as many 15 new ministers taking office – and that the bill should be reviewed by the new cabinet.
The Bangkok Post reported on Saturday that Mr Visuth had on Friday outlined the need for the bill’s withdrawal, citing the coalition’s slim majority and an unfavourable political climate.
He said he discussed the matter with Prime Minister’s Office Minister Chusak Sirinil, and both agreed that a postponement could still intensify public pressure, making a full withdrawal the better course of action.
