Protesters rally outside Finance Ministry against casino bill

Protesters from three groups rallied outside the Finance Ministry, demanding the cancellation of the casino bill. They also criticised Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat for dismissing conditions to limit Thai gamblers' access to casinos.

Protesters, led by three groups, rallied outside the Finance Ministry to demand the government cancel its plan to legalise casinos by enacting a new entertainment complex bill.

The protesters were led by the Network of Students and People for Thailand’s Reform, the Dharma Army, and the Centre of People for Monarchy Protection. The three groups had been camping outside Government House since Sunday morning, vowing to remain there until the government cancelled the plan.

However, on Thursday, the groups led protesters to demonstrate in front of the Finance Ministry, seeking to submit their letter of opposition to the bill to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat.

Sikharin Limnijsorakul, a senior aide to Julapun, came out to accept the letter.

A protest leader stated that they had come to demonstrate at the ministry because it was the main agency pushing for the bill’s enactment, despite strong opposition from various sectors of society.

The protesters said they were targeting Julapun because he had been assigned to draft the bill. Furthermore, they criticised him for dismissing the Council of State’s proposal to include a condition requiring Thai casino patrons to have a bank balance of at least 50 million baht.

The protesters argued that while Julapun had claimed the casinos were aimed at attracting foreign tourists, the removal of the 50-million-baht condition showed that the government was merely using foreign tourists as an excuse to legalise casinos for Thai gamblers.

The three groups also demanded that the Finance Ministry provide an update on their request submitted on 27 March last year, asking the ministry to seize assets worth 46 billion baht from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom the groups blamed for causing significant damage to the country with his past policies.

(2025/03/06-00:00)