The government spokesperson denied false defamatory news, affirming that "Anutin - Phumjaithai" never proposed a 99-year land lease to establish a casino in the Southern Special Economic Zone. She emphasized that the "Landbridge" project is still under study and evaluation.
On 8 May 2026 GMT+7, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, issued a statement addressing false information spread by academic Ajarn Atcharawadee Wongsakol. She had claimed that Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, along with the Phumjaithai Party, proposed a draft law for the Southern Special Economic Corridor (SEC) that would allow casinos and land leases lasting up to 99 years. The spokesperson clarified that this information is untrue and has seriously misled the public.
Ms. Ratchada explained that the shared content selectively extracted parts from draft laws previously proposed by members of parliament in the last term, including Mr. Napadon Kaewsupat, former MP from the Local Power Party, and that three other MPs had also proposed casino-related bills. These facts can be verified on the House of Representatives' official website. Regarding Phumjaithai Party, although it had submitted a draft law in the prior parliament, it was modeled after the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Act, focusing solely on southern economic development and national growth. She affirmed that there was no content about 99-year land leases or casino openings as alleged.
The Prime Minister's Office spokesperson also updated on the Landbridge project, stating that the Prime Minister has officially appointed a committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Akniti Nitithanprapas. The committee’s role is to assess the project's feasibility and national benefits. The government prioritizes hearing from all sectors. If the study finds that the benefits are insufficient or local residents oppose the project, it will definitely not proceed. She urged the public to critically evaluate information and not to believe distorted news aimed at harming the government and related agencies at this time.