The Prachachart party, a member of the governing coalition, issued a statement today rejecting the Pheu Thai party’s draft entertainment complex bill, claiming that its content contravenes Islamic precepts and may have negative impacts on the morals and culture of society.
The party also insisted that its decision is based on the national interest, public peace and mutual co-existence with respect to religious and cultural diversity and equality.
The announcement comes after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that coalition leaders had agreed to postpone the first reading of the draft bill on Wednesday.
She claimed that the postponement is not a tactic to buy time, but that there are currently more urgent issues, such as natural disasters and the US imposition of reciprocal tariffs on Thai exports to the US, which the government must prioritise.
Pheu Thai Secretary-General Sorawong Thienthong refuted a report in several media outlets today that former prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra had warned coalition parties to back the bill or face expulsion from the coalition.
More organisations have also declared their opposition to the draft bill, commonly dubbed the “casino bill”. Members of the National Culture Council, led by its vice president Prayong Kaenla, submitted a protest letter opposing the draft bill to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha today.
