A group involved with the drafting of Thailand’s 2007 charter have warned that the government’s efforts to push through its controversial Entertainment Complex Bill may violate ethics rules and breach the country’s national strategy.
As pressure grows on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her ruling Pheu Thai Party to slow the progress of the bill – due to be reviewed by the House this Wednesday – The Bangkok Post reports that 30 former drafters of the charter issued on Sunday an open letter to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and Senate Speaker Mongkol Surasatja calling for the new bill to be withdrawn.
According to the report, the letter outlines six reasons to withdraw the bill: that it was never declared as a policy of the ruling Pheu Thai Party or its coalition partners during the election campaign, that acts associated with preparing or materializing the draft bill may contravene Sections 65 and 75 of the constitution as well as the National Strategy Act, that the proposed law would see state lands set aside for casino complexes with no guarantee of worthy returns – potentially breaching the state asset utilization law, that it could facilitate the interests of criminal enterprises, that it would potentially exacerbate addictive gambling behaviors by broadening access, and that the bill offers no protective measures against such addiction.
Despite these concerns, Prime Minister Paetongtarn said Friday that the government “aren’t in a hurry” to push passage of the bill given the more urgent need to focus on post-earthquake operations. The Prime Minister added that she agreed it was important to take the necessary time to ensure the Entertainment Complex Bill was accurate and appropriate.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has also outlined a new argument in favor of the bill, describing it as a “vital economic measure” to offset rising US tariffs on Thai goods, according to The Bangkok Post.
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