Thailand's Cabinet withdraws controversial bill to legalise casinos
Cabinet
on Tuesday withdrew a controversial bill that aims to legalise casinos after the Prime Minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation.
Deputy Minister of Finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as factors in the decision.
The bill, also known as the "
entertainment complexes bill
," was first approved by the Cabinet in January and was awaiting review by lawmakers. If passed, it would allow casinos to operate within complexes that also house other businesses such as hotels, convention halls, malls or theme parks.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You
Villas In Dubai | Search Ads
Get Rates
Undo
The bill's withdrawal came after
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
was suspended by the
Constitutional Court
last week after a phone call between her and a senior Cambodian leader was leaked, sparking fresh political turmoil.
Paetongtarn is under an ethics investigation over accusations that she made comments that damaged Thailand's national interests to Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen when the two discussed a recent border dispute last month.
Live Events
The ruling
Pheu Thai Party
has said the bill would help attract more investments, boost tourism and solve issues of illegal gambling. But it has faced strong opposition from the public and Pheu Thai's former coalition partner, the
Bhumjaithai Party
, which quit the government last month over the leaked call.
Julapun said the government needed more time to explain the benefits of the bill to the public, adding that the delay was regrettable.
The Pheu Thai Party, which pledged to make the country's economic woes top of its agenda, stressed that casinos would be only a small part of a larger plan to boost tourism.
Tourism is the main driver of the
Thai economy
and has always been the focus of different administrations to improve the economy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
India pharma, healthcare revenue to grow steadily in Q1FY26E; EBITDA margins under pressure: Report
Indian pharma and healthcare sector will witness steady revenue growth in the first quarter of the Financial Year 2026 (Q1FY26E), but concerns loom as EBITDA margins are expected to decline amid rising input costs and pricing pressures, according to a report by HDFC Securities. The report added that the pharma sector firms studied by it may witness a 11 per cent year-on-year (YoY) sales growth, driven by an 11 per cent YoY increase in the India business along with 2 per cent QoQ growth in US sales (+2 per cent YoY). The EBITDA, which stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, is a financial metric used to assess a company's profitability and operational efficiency. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 이 게임은 대부분의 TV 프로그램보다 더 재미있어요 – 게다가 무료예요. Raid: Shadow Legends 플레이하기 Undo The report stated that EBITDA margins for the pharma segment are expected to decrease by 42bps YoY, driven by price erosion in the US and an expected increase in research and development (R&D). The hospital business is projected to grow by 15 per cent YoY, as muted occupancy will be partly supported by steady ARPOB, or Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed, which is a key performance indicator used in the healthcare industry to assess a hospital's financial performance. Live Events India's pharmaceutical market for FY 2023-24 is valued at USD 50 billion, with domestic consumption valued at USD 23.5 billion and exports valued at USD 26.5 billion. The domestic pharma industry is considered to be the world's third-largest by volume and 14th in terms of value of production. With an extremely diversified product base covering generic drugs, bulk drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vaccines, biosimilars, and biologics, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has a strong presence at the global level. According to National Accounts Statistics 2024, published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, total output for industry, i.e., Pharmaceuticals, medicinal and botanical products, is Rs. 4,56,246 crores for FY 2022-23 at constant prices, of which value added is Rs 1,75,583 crores.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: ‘Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but…'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shared a post on microblogging site X, announcing a delay in the launch of the company's upcoming open-weight AI model. The model was originally scheduled to launch next week. In the post, Altman said the teams needs more time to carry out safety tests and closely review areas that could pose risks. 'We planned to launch our open-weight model next are delaying it,' he wrote, adding 'we need time to run additional safety tests and review high-risk areas…we are not yet sure how long it will take us.' OpenAI is planning to release the model with open weights, meaning developers and researchers will be able to download and use the AI system on their own. In his post, Altman stressed that once the model is out, it can not be taken back and hence makes it important to get everything right before release. He said 'while we trust the community will build great things with this model, once weights are out, they can't be pulled back. this is new for us and we want to get it right.' Altman continued: 'sorry to be the bearer of bad news; we are working super hard!' What is an Open weight AI model Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo by Taboola by Taboola An open-weight model is a type of AI model where the underlying "weights" — the core numerical values that define the model's knowledge and behavior — are shared publicly. These weights are the result of training a model on vast datasets and represent what the model has learned. Unlike models that run only on company servers, open-weight models can be used and modified directly by others. This makes them more flexible for developers, but also raises concerns about how the models might be misused. Lava Storm Play First Look: Best Budget Phone Under Rs 10,000? AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Cambodian sites of Khmer Rouge brutality added to UNESCO heritage list
Three locations used by Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime as torture and execution sites 50 years ago have been added by UNESCO to its World Heritage List. The three locations were inscribed to the list by the United Nations cultural agency on Friday (July 11, 2025) during the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris. Thailand says 'progress made' in Cambodia border dispute talks The inscription coincided with the 50th anniversary of the rise to power by the communist Khmer Rouge government, which caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians through starvation, torture and mass executions during a four-year reign from 1975 to 1979. UNESCO's World Heritage List lists sites considered important to humanity and includes the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and Cambodia's Angkor archaeological complex. The three sites listed on Friday include two notorious prisons and an execution site immortalised in a Hollywood film. Thailand and Cambodia say they will return to agreed border positions after fatal clash Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in the capital Phnom Penh, is the site of a former high school used by the Khmer Rouge as a notorious prison. Better known as S-21, about 15,000 people were imprisoned and tortured there. The M-13 prison, located in rural Kampong Chhnang province in central Cambodia, also was regarded as one of the main prisons of the early Khmer Rouge. Choeung Ek, located about 15 km south of the capital, was used as an execution site and mass grave. The story of the atrocities committed there are the focus of the 1984 film 'The Killing Fields,' based on the experiences of New York Times photojournalist Dith Pran and correspondent Sydney Schanberg. The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, and immediately herded almost all the city's residents into the countryside, where they were forced to toil in harsh conditions until 1979, when the regime was driven from power by an invasion from neighbouring Vietnam. In September 2022, the UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, better known as the Khmer Rouge tribunal, concluded its work compiling cases against Khmer Rouge leaders. The tribunal cost $337 million over 16 years but convicted just three men. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet issued a message on Friday (July 11, 2025) directing people to beat drums simultaneously across the country on Sunday morning to mark the UNESCO listing. 'May this inscription serve as a lasting reminder that peace must always be defended,' Hun Manet said in a video message posted online.' From the darkest chapters of history, we can draw strength to build a better future for humanity.' Youk Chhang, executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, said the country is 'still grappling with the painful legacies of genocide, torture, and mass atrocity.' But naming the three sites to the UNESCO list will play a role in educating younger generations of Cambodians and others worldwide. 'Though they were the landscape of violence, they too will and can contribute to heal the wounds inflicted during that era that have yet to heal,' he said. 'The UNESCO inscription was Cambodia's first nomination for a modern and non-classical archaeological site and is among the first in the world to be submitted as a site associated with recent conflict,' Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said in a statement on Friday (July 11, 2025.) 'Four Cambodian archaeological sites were previously inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Angkor, Preah Vihear, Sambo Prei Kuk and Koh Ker,' the Ministry said.
