A mini-casino is currently under construction in Tioman Island Resort and is almost 90 per cent completed, PAS member of Parliament for Kubang Krian, Husam Musa disclosed today.

According to him, the federal government had approved a 'mini-casino' for operation at the island resort.

Husam told malaysiakini that the information was available on the Finance Ministry web site .

"It says the mini-casino licence was approved under the Common Gaming Houses Ordinance 1953," he said.

"Below this was a list of 16 agencies under the Finance Ministry, including the Malaysian Totalisator Board - the authority that manages gambling and gaming companies."

The information, he said, was also published in The Star on May 10, 2003 under the headline 'A new legal gambling option' in the Bizweek section.

According to the article, "Interestingly, an Internet search has yielded a page in the Finance Ministry website that mentions a licence for a 'mini-casino in Tioman' issued under a piece of legislation called the Common Gaming Houses Ordinance, 1953."

No gov't denial

Husam said there has been no denial from the government since the article on the mini-casino was published

"Based on the (press) report and the ministry's website, there are strong grounds to believe that another gaming licence has been approved, in addition to the one for slot machines at the Bukit Tinggi Resort in Pahang. It is now up to the government to deny it."

PAS party organ Harakah had published a report last month on the Bukit Tinggi casino, but Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also the finance minister, clarified that the licence was only for slot machines and not for table games.