Govt seen as acting with unwarranted urgency
PUBLISHED: 6 Apr 2025 at 04: 01
Antagonism to the Entertainment Complex act is gathering pace with doctors, scientists and colleges joining anti-casino demonstrations ahead of the House’s consideration of the expenses on Wednesday.
A group of 37 older doctors from Chulalongkorn University on Saturday came out against the act, saying Thailand is also plagued with a support system and weak law enforcement, while corruption is likewise deeply entrenched. The building was not appropriate for quite a big change.
” Legalising games and online gaming will only worsen social problems and keep people trapped in a labyrinth of playing, increasing crime rates, substance problems, human trafficking, money laundering and other shady businesses.
” The economy will not improve as claimed, but it ]legal casinos ] will be a catastrophe for the country,’ ‘ they said.
The group called on the government to withdraw the bill for the sake of social stability.
Other groups have also joined the campaign against the casino-entertainment complex bill, which has heated up in recent days amid claims the government– despite having a full plate with the recent earthquake in Myanmar and steep US tariff imposts on goods– is pushing it with undue haste.
Critcs now include members of the Academy of Moral and Political Science at the Royal Society of Thailand. At a recent meeting, members of the academy endorsed a study by one of its members, Woradej Chantharasorn, who suggested the government cancel or delay the bill.
But if the government insists on pushing the bill, it should come up with additional measures to address social problems and crime that could arise as a result of legalised casinos, they said.
On Thursday, the Catholic Education Council of Thailand also took a stand against the casino bill, saying gambling undermines morality and all 387 Catholic schools in Thailand were united against the government’s move to legalise casinos at the heart of the changes.
” The council has called on the government to protect children by scrapping the plan to legalise casios and online gambling and look for ways to promote a sustainable and fair economy without relying on income from gambling,’ ‘ the council said.
Jatuporn Prompan, leader of the People’s Unity Group, has urged the public to join a protest on Wednesday against the first reading of the bill. The government is facing sharp criticism for trying to fast-track deliberation of the entertainment-casino complex bill in parliament despite lacking a comprehensive feasibility study to support it.
During a parliamentary meeting on Thursday, after the Pheu Thai Party proposed bringing the deliberation forward to Wednesday, the opposition openly questioned whether private investors were exerting undue influence over government policy.
People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told reporters that during Thursday’s meeting, he submitted a motion to make impacts of the recent earthquake an urgent agenda item for the next parliamentary session. However, the Pheu Thai Party later replaced it with the entertainment complex bill.
Mr Natthaphong said the government’s reshuffling of priorities stemmed from fears that a prolonged debate on the earthquake response might result in attendance falling below quorum requirements for the session, which could include a vote on the casino bill.