Opponents blast GLO over Roi Et casino plan
The Nation 2011-09-30
The northeastern casino project floated by the Government Lottery Office would open the door to legalised gambling, which would only debase society and deprive the poor, conservatives and NGOs said yesterday.
"Such an attitude reflects the nature of authorities, which rely on easy money from the poor but fail to collect more taxes from the rich, through various methods such as progressive tax rates, or a land or inheritance tax," said Thanakorn Khomkris, a leader of an antivice network.
"These are efficient tools that Thai authorities choose not to utilise," he said.
The GLO's "moneyhungry" culture of exploiting lowincome people through biweekly lotteries would only deprave Thailand, he said.
Kittiwat Sutthirak of Ramkhamhaeng University’s Laws for Society group said the casino idea had been prepared and was now being showcased to the public through a multistep process involving politicians, companies and progambling academics.
The gambling parlour video leaked in Parliament, the closure of dens and the arrests of Thai punters were publicised with the intent of leading the public into agreeing with legalised gambling and casinos, he said.
Amkha Saengngarm, head of a culture and tourism group in Roi Et, whose Thung Kula Ronghai plain was designated as the site of the governmentsubsidised, Bt10billion entertainment complex, said legalised gambling would create social problems among young people for generations to come.
The plain is a rare fertile ecosystem in the Northeast and a famous source of Thailand’s authentic jasmine rice. A Facebook page opposing the use of the plain as the site of the casino has been put up with many people signing in and vowing to campaign against the proposal.
Meanwhile, police searched a golf driving range on Soi Union Auction - which Rak Thailand MP Chuwit Kamolvisit claimed was the projected site of a new gambling den - and found nothing amiss, but only 28 illegal migrant construction workers.
Police said they had been already aware of unusually tight security at the driving range and Chuwit’s public outcry coincided with their concern.
Pol Colonel Phatchara Bunyasit, who led the 100man raid, said the 20 private security guards were only protecting construction materials.
The officer said the blueprint of the Number One range showed that it was undergoing renovation as a massage parlour, with karaoke rooms and a pub.
Owners will be summoned to clarify with police exactly what type of entertainment would be provided, he added.
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