A Thai police officer has gone public with accusations of corruption among members of the governing Bhumjaithai Party. A Tuesday report in The Thaiger cited former Special Branch Bureau officer Santana Prayoonrat, who alleged four high-ranking party members had accepted bribes from nine casinos across the border in Cambodia.
Santana visited party headquarters on Monday, carrying 50 pages of documents he said would substantiate his claims. He did not identify the lawmakers in question, but said two who held ministerial roles were close to casino kingpins known as Tue and Maem.
Santana told the media that he also invested in casinos, but that he opposed politicians who did the same. In addition, he said he requested to meet with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, to no avail.
“He doesn’t want to speak with me,” Santana said of Anutin, who took office on 5 September. “I don’t want to say he avoided me. We have met before. We’re not strangers. We have dined together and greeted one another. But now he is the prime minister, so sometimes he has to forget people.”
Elected after ex-PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra was impeached on ethics charges, Anutin reportedly claimed he does not know the officer.
Tensions build between Thailand and Cambodia
During her brief tenure – she held office for only a year – Paetongtarn championed legal casinos in Thailand as a way to build tourism and attract foreign investment. As leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, she backed the controversial Entertainment Complex Bill. It attracted would-be investors like Galaxy Entertainment Group, MGM Resorts International and Melco Resorts & Entertainment. They planned to invest billions to bring up to five integrated resorts with gaming to the kingdom.
But opposition to the proposal was widespread and vociferous. Anutin opposed the bill, which was tabled following Paetongtarn’s ouster and could now be dropped altogether, according to the Bangkok Post. For legal gambling at present, many Thai residents cross the border to Cambodia, which hosts 150 gaming halls, many clustered in border cities like Poipet.
In related news, the head of the Royal Thai Navy says one Cambodian-operated casino is actually located on Thai land and not in an “area of claim”.
According to The Nation, Admiral Jirapol Wongwit challenged Cambodian officials on Tuesday to pull down the new casino, located in disputed territory in Trat Province, or risk its seizure by Thai authorities.
“You will either demolish it yourself or allow us to demolish it for you,” Jirapol stated.
Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachiayaphan added that if Cambodia fails to cooperate, Thailand may “escalate” its response.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/thai-officer-accuses-bhumjaithai-party-casino-bribes/
