Finance Ministry to drop Entertainment Complex bill from Cabinet agenda

The Finance Ministry will remove the controversial Entertainment Complex bill from the agenda for the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

PM’s Office Minister Chusak Sirinil said the Finance Ministry is expected to explain to the Cabinet why the bill, which is scheduled to be debated in the House on Wednesday, should be withdrawn for now, adding that, if the Cabinet has no objection, the House Speaker will be informed of the decision.

The bill has been heavily criticised by civil society, religious groups and opposition parties as being a Trojan horse for the establishment of casinos in Bangkok and other tourist destinations, which would further drive Thai people into gambling.

The government has, however, claimed that casinos would comprise only 10% of the activities in such entertainment complexes.

If the bill were to be debated by parliament, it could also provoke anti-government protests which, in turn, would further shake the government’s fragile stability, with its currently thin majority in the Lower House.

A House meeting last week collapsed due to the lack of a quorum.

Chusak said that government whips must see to it that most, if not all government MPs are present at every House meeting, to ensure that there is a quorum, because the opposition is likely to call for a head count, whenever there is an opportunity, to undercut the government.