Paetongtarn blames Anutin, not casino bill, for drop in Chinese tourists
Suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has pushed back against claims by former interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul, accusing him of exaggerating the nature of her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping vis-à-vis the controversial casino bill.
Paetongtarn said she regarded Xi’s remarks, made during her official visit to China, as recommendations and exchanges of views, rather than warnings.
She was responding to a disclosure by Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who claimed that the Chinese president had urged her to drop the draft bill on an integrated entertainment complex or face repercussions from China, in terms of tourism and trade.
He was present at the high-level meeting in Beijing as the interior minister and personally took notes of the conversation.
On his Facebook page, Anutin linked the sharp decline in Chinese tourist arrivals in Thailand, which has severely impacted Thailand’s tourism sector, to the casino bill.
Paetongtarn said her discussion with Xi merely touched on Thailand’s plan to develop an entertainment complex, not a full-scale casino.
“I explained that what we are proposing is an entertainment complex and, if there were to be any gambling components, they would account for no more than 10%. I even cited successful models, such as Singapore and Macau,” claimed Paetongtarn.
She accused Anutin of “colouring” the story, when he claimed that Xi had warned Thailand three times to abandon the plan or face a backlash.
She hit back at Anutin, who was serving as interior minister at the time, claiming that the real reason for the decline in Chinese tourist numbers was safety concerns, particularly over crime, an issue which is the responsibility of the Interior Ministry.
“Former interior minister Anutin seems to have forgotten that the decline in Chinese tourism is linked to safety issues, not the casino bill,” she opined.
In her meeting with Xi, he did not mention any specific countermeasures China would take if its citizens visited countries with casinos.
“He just told me that he did not support casinos and that, if Chinese nationals travel to countries with them, his government would observe how the Chinese were [sic],” Paetongtarn said.
She added that she asked whether China had any specific regulations or recommendations on the matter, and that “We’re always open to listening.”
The suspended prime minister emphasised that such diplomatic conversations are normal and that her explanation of Thailand’s proposal was in line with international practice.
“We are doing what others have done, like Singapore and Macau, and we want to do it properly, with job creation and economic growth. Presenting this exchange as a stern warning is simply inaccurate,” according to Paetongtarn.