Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula listens during the discussion of the bill to amend the Government Lottery Act in Parliament yesterday. He said he decided to withdraw the bill as the government was yet to introduce measures to protect youth from

The two- and three-digit lotteries were left in limbo yesterday after the government decided to withdraw the controversial bill to amend the Government Lottery Act.

Before the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) began its second day of debate on the bill, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula addressed the session without giving any of his detractors a chance to grill him first - as they did on Wednesday.

The withdrawal of the bill would indefinitely postpone the issuing of two- and three-digit lotteries. Initially, the government delayed the issuing of the lotteries to December 30, but the NLA has not yet decided on whether the lotteries should be legalised.

Pridiyathorn said before entering the chamber that the lotteries would be postponed indefinitely until the NLA could make a decision on them.

On the first day of the debate on Wednesday, the government in general and Pridiyathorn in particular faced heavy criticism from members of the NLA over its rationale of legalising the two- and three-digit lotteries.

Pridiyathorn yesterday told the NLA meeting that he "just" got the latest information from a social network working on juveniles, family and religion that the number of high-school and college students who bought the two- and three-digit lotteries had increased four times in recent years.

He had read it on Wednesday night. The reason they bought them, he said, was because they were easy to buy.  The network yesterday handed copies of an open letter to NLA members saying a survey indicated that about 1.5 million high-school and university students bought two- and three-digit lotteries for an average Bt200 every month.

The group said its recent survey of 1,302 respondents in Bangkok found 57 per cent of the young disagreed with making two- and three-digit lotteries legal.

"I've realised the bill doesn't mention measures to prevent the growing number of those young people from becoming involved with the lotteries," Pridiyathorn said.

Moreover, he claimed the government wanted to set up a fund for persuading people to stop being attracted to vice - but the bill did not have such a content.

"So, I decided to withdraw the bill for further review," Pridiyathorn said, adding he had already consulted the prime minister.

There was a loud applause by NLA members once he finished his address.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Cabinet was split between those in favour of the bill and those against it, said a Government House source yesterday. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont concluded the final say should rest with the NLA, according to the source.

The government found yesterday there was strong opposition in the NLA against the bill and even though there was enough support to ensure its passage, there could be a public outcry over the matter, the source said.

The government's U-turn followed heavy attacks during Wednesday's NLA

meeting by detractors of the bill, including Prasong Soonsiri, Praphan Khoonmi, Khamnoon Sitthisamarn, Sophon Suphapong and Wallop Tangkananurak.

They questioned the rationale of legalising the two- and three-digit lotteries and raised suspicions that people who engineered the scheme for the ousted government were the ones who would benefit if the amendment was passed.

Some members of the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) and National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), including Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka and Udom

Fuengfung, were said to be ready to resign if the NLA passed the bill.

The two agencies are probing charges against former prime minister Thaksin, members of his Cabinet, plus senior finance and lottery officials for illegally introducing the two- and three-digit lotteries. The bill was seen as opening the way for an amnesty for them.

On Wednesday, Pridiyathorn defended his proposal to amend the lottery act. He

claimed the government wanted to prevent a resurgence of the "underground" lottery.

By cancelling the two- and three-digit lotteries, as some NLA members proposed, he believed the underground lottery would come back to haunt society.

Given that around 30 million Thais bought lottery tickets regularly, cancelling them would indirectly raise the popularity of the deposed government, as those people would say "only Thaksin understands us", Pridiyathorn said.

After the session, Wallop revealed that about 10 NLA members had separate telephone discussions with some Cabinet members including Pridiyathorn, who proposed the amendment.

Wallop, a children's rights advocate, said the group informed the government that the amendment had no measures to prevent young people from buying the two- and three- digit lotteries.

He believed the government decided to withdraw the bill because it shared the same concerns with the NLA.

NLA member Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, who had voiced support for the bill, said

he agreed with the government that the bill should be withdrawn. "There are some loopholes in the bill, which need to be fixed," he said.

Weerayut Chokchaimadon,

 Sathien Viriyapanpongsa,

 Piyanart Srivalo

 The Nation