Key points:
- Senate panel to appoint leadership and confirm scope of study
- Political concerns raised over committee chair selection
- Pheu Thai denies the bill is focused solely on casino legalisation
A special Senate committee formed to examine Thailand’s proposed entertainment complex bill will hold its first meeting on 23 April, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
The 34-member committee was originally intended to have 35 members, but the resignation of Senator Premsak Piayura has left one seat vacant. During the upcoming meeting, members are expected to appoint a chairperson, outline the framework for the study and nominate a replacement for the departed senator. The committee has 180 days to complete its work.
Twelve members of the committee are drawn from outside the Senate. Reports have emerged that efforts are being made to appoint an external candidate with ties to a political family in Buri Ram as chair, raising questions over the neutrality of the review. Bhumjaithai, the second-largest coalition party and politically active in Buri Ram, is said to have close ties with many senators.
In response to growing public criticism, Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong urged the media to avoid framing the bill as an attempt to legalise casinos. He said the initiative is intended as an investment project and that casinos represent only a small part of the overall proposal.
List MP Anusorn Iamsa-ard reiterated that the aim of the bill is economic development, not the promotion of gambling. He confirmed that Pheu Thai members would use the parliamentary recess to explain the project's objectives to the public.
