Parties told to back casino bill

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned members of the ruling coalition to support the casino-entertainment complex bill, which is set to be deliberated in parliament tomorrow, or face expulsion from the government, according to sources close to the matter.

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The sources claimed that Thaksin had told all parties in the Pheu Thai-led coalition to vote in support of the bill during its first reading in the House tomorrow. Those who break ranks will be expelled from the coalition, they said.

Most parties in the coalition, including the Bhumjaithai and United Thai Nation parties, have pledged to support the bill, although the Prachachat Party, which has nine MPs under its wing in the House, has previously voiced its opposition to the bill.

Prachachat is led by Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, who is notably the only Buddhist among the party's MPs in parliament. The rest of its MPs in the House are Muslims from the predominantly Muslim border provinces in the deep South, who oppose the move to legalise gambling in the country on religious grounds.