Senate committee calls for referendum on Thai casino bill
Prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was unable to attend the committee meeting.
Thailand.- The Senate committee reviewing the bill to legalise casino resorts in Thailand has suggested that the government should conduct a referendum on the proposed legislation. At a meeting yesterday (15 May), the committee led by senator Veerapun Suvannamai said that the draft bill could be unconstitutional if it becomes law.
Prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had been invited to present the government’s rationale for the proposed casino legislation but she had a prior commitment in Vietnam. She has now been invited to present her views on June 5.
According to the Bangkok Post, committee advisor senator Chirmsak Pinthong claimed the bill was “a disguised attempt” to legalise large-scale casinos. He also criticised the bill for giving too much power to a policy board led by the prime minister, which he called the “casino cabinet.”
Pinthong said the draft bill limits state revenue from casino concessions to a maximum of THB 5bn but that no minimum figure has been defined, which he said raises transparency issues. He also questioned why the government would grant concessions without a bidding process, public hearing, or environmental impact assessment.
As for proposed locations, he said that if an integrated resort were built at Klong Toey Port in Bangkok, the Port Act would need to be amended. He said the land is estimated to be worth around THB1.2m per square metre and that if investors used just 10 per cent for a casino, they would gain access to land worth THB100bn but would pay the state only THB1.1bn in concessions each year.
The government delayed the casino-entertainment complex bill until the next parliamentary session, which starts on July 2, due to the issues of US tariffs and last month’s earthquake. Shinawatra has defended the bill saying it would boost the country’s economy.
