Did former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, father of the current premier, threaten to expel government parties from the Phue Thai Party-led government coalition if their lawmakers don't vote for the entertainment complex bill? No, that's not true: The former prime minister denied making any threats, describing conversations with parties as informal opinion gatherings. Other top government officials also denied the claim.
The claim appeared in multiple TikTok videos, including one video posted on April 7, 2025 (archived here), which had the following on-screen caption, saying (translated from Thai into English by Lead Stories staff):
What do the coalition parties say? There is a lot of talk that Thaksin threatens that anyone who votes against or abstains will be expelled from the government
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Apr 10 12:55:20 2025 UTC)
The video features a news package from PPTV 36's evening broadcast on April 7, 2025 (archived here). Although the claim has no clear origin, Thai media, including Infoquest, Manager Online, and Workpoint (archived here, here, and here), picked it up without attribution but said it was from "news reports."
The claim followed the controversial bill (archived here) dubbed an "entertainment complex bill" and a "casino bill" proposed by the government. It would introduce casino resorts at tourism spots across the country. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her allies initially sought a speedy legislative process for the bill. However, they have since postponed it after strong opposition in the form of protests and petitions.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied the rumor with reporters on April 8, 2025 (archived here), stating that while there were general discussions with the coalition parties in the past, he was only asking for each person's opinions and that nobody objected.
Other government officials have also denied the rumor.
Minister of Tourism and Sports and Phue Thai Party Secretary General Sorawong Thienthong said through the party's Facebook page on April 7, 2025 (archived here) that the claim is "completely false," and asked for evidence.
"I understand that the media must work quickly because there is high competition," he said. "But when news comes out like this, we are damaged. Who will be responsible for us? The news source in question, please find me so that I can confirm it because I am confident that Thaksin did not give an interview anywhere."
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on April 8, 2025, that the former prime minister wouldn't pose any threat as he wouldn't interfere with the current administration's affairs, according to ThaiRath (archived here).
Minister of Social Development and Human Security Varawut Silpa-archa said on April 8, 2025, that he was unaware of the rumor and had not seen any discussions on the matter when reporters asked about it, according to TNN News (archived here). He's the leader of Chart Thai Pattana Party, a part of the government coalition.
Thamanat Prompow, a member of the House of Representatives and advisor to Kla Tham Party, said on April 8, 2025, that he was present at the discussion and that some coalition parties said that if they agreed to vote for the bill, they should all agree, but if they didn't, they should be expelled from the coalition parties, according to Bangkok Biz News (archived here). He confirmed the former prime minister didn't say it.
