The Thai government said Wednesday it would postpone the first parliamentary reading of its Entertainment Complex Bill – just hours after promising to push ahead despite holding the slimmest of majorities following the departure this week of the Bhumjaithai Party from the ruling coalition.
The bill had been scheduled to be reviewed by the House on Tuesday 9 July.
Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri told local media that the government had decided to postpone the first reading of the draft Entertainment Complex Bill due to lingering public misunderstandings surrounding its content, according to a report by The Nation.
“There is still a lack of public understanding about the purpose of this bill,” Manaporn said. “The government needs more time to thoroughly explain its intent to the public before it proceeds to parliament.”
Wisut Chainarun, chairman of the government whip, reiterated that the government needed to better engage with the public before proceeding any further.
“Those involved must explain it clearly to the public,” he said. “There should be no lingering suspicion about the purpose of this legislation.”
Pointing to the distraction of the border dispute with Cambodia, Wisut added, “We had urged that public awareness campaigns, talk shows and seminars should be conducted throughout June, but that didn’t happen.”
Postponement of the bill’s reading by parliament came just hours after Deputy Minister of Finance Julapun Amornvivat stated that the government planned to push ahead with the bill despite seeing its majority narrowed to just 261 seats of the 500-seat parliament – down from 330 before Bhumjaithai’s exit.
Thai language media outlet Thansettakij reported early Wednesday comments from Julapun in which he stated the government still had enough votes to push forward important laws – including the Entertainment Complex Bill – and that it remained confident in pushing the bill through within the next 12 months.
Inside Asian Gaming had only hours earlier published comments by former Marina Bay Sands President and CEO George Tanasijevich about the global gaming industry’s need for political and regulatory certainty when entering greenfield jurisdictions.
“In order to make the economic impact [of entertainment complexes] optimal, you’re going to have to attract the right investors – and the best investors like certainty,” Tanasijevich stated during a presentation at IAG’s Thailand Entertainment Complex Roundtable in Bangkok on 5 June.
“There are certain things that need to be laid out so that people know what they’re facing if they are going to pitch for an opportunity in this market. A collaborative process will be absolutely critical.”
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