a day ago
Senate panel seeks premier's input on casino scheme
A Senate special committee studying an integrated entertainment complex, which includes a casino, plans to summon Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for clarification on key policy questions.
Dr Veerapun Suvannamai, senator and chairman of the committee, on Monday revealed that it is preparing to invite Ms Paetongtarn to attend a meeting on July 17.
The aim is to allow the premier to provide information and share her views regarding the plan.
However, Dr Veerapun acknowledged that the premier may not attend in person; therefore, the committee has prepared a set of key questions for her to respond in writing, which was sent along with the invitation.
Dr Veerapun said that, based on previous meetings, representatives from the private sector provided information, including that there were five entertainment complexes planned by the government, in varying sizes.
They also came up with revenue estimates and business operations, whereas the government representatives have never been able to provide similar clarification, he said, adding that he was unsure whether it was insider information that the private sector possessed or information obtained from the government itself.
"The committee does not compel the premier to appear and has no intention of invoking legal powers to summon her," he said.
"It is not a problem if the premier declines. What we expect is a response to the questions that are submitted alongside the invitation letter."
He went on to say that the committee plans to present its preliminary findings at the Senate meeting on July 7. It would then wait for the premier's response before submitting the final report to the Senate by August.
Questions for the PM reportedly include revenue estimates from the casino operations, the number of entertainment complexes planned, land expropriation from the Port Authority of Thailand in the Klong Toey area, and the number of Thai visitors and their spending requirements for the casinos to remain afloat. Other concerns are money laundering controls, economic risks, tourism impacts, investor influence and whether the bill should be renamed to clearly focus on the casino for transparency.
