Bhumjaithai Party leader and former interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul has blamed the sharp decline in Chinese tourist arrivals and losses in Thailand’s tourism sector on the government’s disregard for repeated warnings from Chinese President Xi Jinping over its push to legalise casinos.
In a Facebook post published early Wednesday morning, Anutin said the Pheu Thai-led government ignored serious diplomatic signals from Beijing, damaging bilateral relations and deterring Chinese travellers.
“The gesture of the Thai government, which appeared to ignore and fail to value the opinion of the Chinese leader, and the rushed submission of the entertainment complex (casino) bill on top of the agenda in this House session, are certainly causes of the current sharp decline in Chinese visitors,” Anutin wrote.
He claimed that during Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s meeting with President Xi in Beijing in February 2025, the Chinese leader warned Thailand three times to abandon the entertainment complex-casino policy or face economic consequences.
“Otherwise, the Chinese government would need to implement measures to significantly reduce Chinese travel, trade and investment with Thailand,” Anutin quoted Xi as saying.
Anutin said he was present at the meeting and documented the details. Despite that, the government submitted the bill for parliamentary debate, listing it as a top priority.
Although the government signalled plans to withdraw the bill on Wednesday, Anutin said the damage was already done.
“The severe consequence is the absence of about 90% of Chinese visitors, which has caused great damage to tourism-related operators, people in the service sector, hotels and the sales of Thai products, souvenirs, foods and drinks, retail shops and stalls. All of these are affected to an unprecedented degree,” he wrote.
He also stated that Bhumjaithai had faced pressure to exit the coalition because it refused to back the entertainment complex-casino bill.
“The government’s duty is to ensure security and generate income for Thai people, not to serve a small group of investors who are insignificant compared to the Thai population,” Anutin said.
In Parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Finance Minister and Pheu Thai deputy leader Julapun Amornvivat confirmed the cabinet’s plan to withdraw the bill.
He said the decision was to allow new ministers and the public time to further study the proposal, and suggested that entertainment complexes could serve as man-made tourist attractions to stimulate the economy.
Julapun, who chaired a meeting in June on the plan, also noted that Bhumjaithai had previously supported the initiative while still part of the coalition. He added that withdrawing the bill could help reduce political and societal conflict.
However, Bhumjaithai MP Paradorn Prissananantakul urged the government to scrap the bill entirely, not just delay it. He said Chinese authorities have discouraged citizens from investing in or visiting foreign casinos, which has contributed to the recent decline in arrivals.
Paradorn also questioned whether the withdrawal was connected to the leaked phone conversation between Prime Minister Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, hinting at political motivations.
He added that the government had just lost 69 Bhumjaithai votes in the House and suggested the withdrawal may be a strategic move to regain parliamentary support.
