One of Thailand’s top legal experts, former deputy prime minister Dr. Wissanu Krea-ngam, has been appointed chairman of a special panel of the Council of State to vet the draft Entertainment Complex bill, which has been approved by the cabinet, according to a well-informed source.
Other legal experts on the panel include Dr. Borwornsak Uwanno, a constitutional expert responsible for the crafting of several constitutions, and Tongthong Chandransu.
Secretary-General of the Council of State, Pakorn Nilpraphan, said that the special panel has met 3 or 4 times already and has invited representatives of the Finance and Interior ministries, as well as relevant agencies, for discussions.
He said that a casino will be mentioned in the draft, but without going into details as to what percentage of all the activities in the complex the casino would represent.
Pakorn explained that the appointment of several top legal minds to the special panel is a separate issue from whether the project is accepted by the public or not.
He likens the Council of State to a chef, who brings together all the ingredients to create the dish ordered by the customer. “If the customer does not want any ingredients, which the chef likes to use and, if the customer persists, the chef will have to comply with the customer’s wishes,” he said.
He also said that the Council of State is working on the bill twice a week, to complete and return it to the cabinet within 50 days.
