Xi warned Paetongtarn: drop casino bill or face consequences

2 comments

1. SS: In an explosive revelation reported by *Thai PBS World* on July 9, 2025, former Thai interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping explicitly warned Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to abandon the Pheu Thai Party’s proposed casino bill or face retaliatory measures affecting tourism, trade, and investment.

   Anutin, who attended the Beijing meeting where the warning was reportedly repeated three times and recorded in the official minutes, argued that ignoring such a direct signal from China was reckless. He linked the plummeting number of Chinese tourist arrivals, down over 90%, to Beijing’s disapproval, citing the severe toll on Thailand’s hospitality and service sectors.

   Although the Thai Cabinet has since withdrawn the draft bill, Anutin, who recently pulled his Bhumjaithai Party out of the coalition, called the move too little, too late, warning that without a firm commitment to scrap the initiative altogether, bilateral ties and economic confidence would continue to suffer.

2. But its all fine for China (Macao) to have casinos?

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