Thaksin Shinawatra, the influential father of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has downplayed reports of a rift between his ruling Pheu Thai Party and its coalition partner Bhumjaithai, insisting any difference of opinion can be managed.
He also confirmed that Bhumjaithai’s leaders had promised to vote in support of the controversial Entertainment Complex Bill currently waiting on House review, despite Bhumjaithai secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob having last week stated publicly that he would not do so, local media outlet The Nation reports.
The Entertainment Complex Bill has become one of the most contentious issues facing Thailand’s coalition in recent months and follows a series of disagreements over everything from land ownership to cannabis regulation.
However, Thaksin told reporters over the weekend that Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul had already assured him his party would not vote against the bill.
On reported cracks appearing between the two parties, Thaksin said, “This is normal in politics. We may sometimes have misunderstandings, but Bhumjaithai knows well that we don’t have real conflicts.
“I understand them well. We can manage the conflicts, and we’re still at a stage where there are no serious rifts.”
Thaksin also reiterated his stance on the development of Entertainment Complexes with casinos, insisting they would bring significant economic benefit to Thailand and accusing the bill’s opponents of misrepresenting its contents.
“The coalition has enough votes in the House to pass the bill,” he added.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, the Entertainment Complex Bill will not be reviewed by parliament until at least July and even then may not be top of the agenda after a parliamentary debate originally planned to take place last week was postponed amid rising opposition to the bill and the emergence of more pressing issues.
IAG published a 5,000-word deep dive into the development of integrated resorts in Thailand as the cover story of the April issue of Inside Asian Gaming.
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