Former charter writers warn the government may be at risk of violating ethics rules and breaching Thailand's national strategy if it doesn't drop its push for the casino-entertainment complex bill.
Thirty former drafters of the 2007 charter, comprising high-profile experts, issued an open letter on Sunday to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and Senate Speaker Mongkol Surasatja, calling for the new bill to be withdrawn from parliament.
The controversial bill will be voted on in parliament on Wednesday.
MPs are expected to decide whether the bill will be adopted during its first reading amid intensifying opposition from several quarters.
The group of former charter drafters outlined six reasons to underpin its call.
First, the bill was neither urgent nor essential.
Legalising casinos was never declared by the ruling Pheu Thai Party or other coalition parties during the election campaign as a policy they intended to implement. The parties are under no obligation to implement it.
The group said the casino-entertainment complex idea was floated by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, seen as being the de facto leader of Pheu Thai, before the party "embraced" it.
Second, acts associated with preparing or materialising the draft law may contravene Sections 65 and 75 of the constitution as well as violate the National Strategy Act.
Section 65 pertains to government undertakings that are compliant with the 20-year national strategy.
Section 75 aims to ensure a fair and even distribution of economic benefits to people and the promotion of citizens' self-reliance based on the sufficiency principle.
The group argues the bill runs counter to the National Strategy Act which seeks to achieve long-term economic prosperity and security by adhering to the sufficiency principle.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai defended the bill as a vital economic measure to offset rising US tariffs on Thai goods.
The former charter writers warned lawmakers pushing the draft law could find themselves in danger of abusing constitutional powers and violating ethics, which are punishable by a lifetime ban from politics.
Third, the proposed law would see state lands, which are national assets, being set aside and occupied by casinos and entertainment complexes with no guarantee of worthy returns. This could constitute a breach of the state asset utilisation law.
Fourth, the changes could pander to the interests of criminal and gambling enterprises, which does nothing to improve the economy while worsening crimes and vices.
Fifth, the bill broadens people's access to online gambling, possibly causing the nation's gambling problem to spin out of control.
Sixth, the proposed law offers no protective measure against people becoming addicts.
"Any acts associated with the draft law are deficient in moral value and integrity which politicians under democratic rule are expected to possess," the group said in the open letter.
"The bill aims to generate vested interests while calls for thorough consideration and social resistance to the proposed law fall on deaf ears," it added.
The group members include experts in wide-ranging fields, such as Jaran Pakdithanakul, Chirmsak Pinthong and Vicha Mahakun.
The Chiang Mai Doctors' Group on Sunday joined the critics, saying the casino-entertainment complex bill will have long-term ramifications for the younger generation.
Wirangrong Dabbaransi, head of the Network of Universities for Reform has invited opponents of the entertainment complex bill to gather at Chulalongkorn University on Tuesday to oppose the plan.
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong, who is also minister of tourism and sports, said people should stop demonising the bill by mislabelling it as a "casino law".
The bill is pending a review and far from finalised, he said, adding coalition parties agreed with the bill heading to parliament for deliberation.
Pheu Thai list-MP Anusorn Iamsa-ard said the bill will not be rushed.
