Lawmakers in the Thai House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender.
The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House who were in attendance, with 10 voting against it, two abstaining and three not voting.
The bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” It would open up access to full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples.
Move Forward Party lawmakers take a selfie to celebrate the passage of a marriage equality bill in the Thai House of Representatives in Bangkok yesterday.
The bill now goes to the Thai Senate, which rarely rejects any legislation that passes the lower house, and then to the king for royal endorsement. This would make Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.
India’s highest court deferred a decision on a similar law to its parliament in October last year.
After the result, one representative brought a rainbow flag into the chamber.
“Today society has proved to us that they care about LGBT rights,” said Thai Representative Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat of the progressive Move Forward Party, which has pushed for LGBTQ+ rights. “Now we finally we will have the same rights as others.”
Danuphorn Punnakanta, a spokesperson of the governing Pheu Thai Party and president of a committee overseeing the marriage equality bill, said in the House that the amendment is for “everyone in Thailand” regardless of their gender, and would not deprive heterosexual couples of any rights.
“We did this for all Thai people to reduce disparity in society and start creating equality,” he said. “I want to invite you all to make history.”
“For this law, we would like to return rights to the [LGBTQ+ group]. We are not giving them rights. These are the fundamental rights that this group of people ... has lost,” he said.
However, lawmakers did not approve inclusion of the word “parent” in addition to “father and mother” in the law, which advocates said would limit the rights of some LGBTQ+ couples to form a family and raise children.
While Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, it has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law.
The passing of the bill marks a significant step towards cementing Thailand’s position as one of Asia’s most liberal societies on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, with openness and free-wheeling attitudes coexisting with traditional, conservative Buddhist values.
“It’s a huge step for our country — it is the first in Southeast Asia,” said Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, a spokesperson with activist group Fortify Rights.
The bill could take effect within 120 days of royal approval.Additional reporting by Reuters
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
Former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said if US President Joe Biden had ended his re-election bid sooner, the Democratic Party could have held a competitive nominating process to choose his replacement. “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said in an interview on Thursday published by the New York Times the next day. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary,” she said. Pelosi said she thought the Democratic candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, “would have done
Farmer Liu Bingyong used to make a tidy profit selling milk but is now leaking cash — hit by a dairy sector crisis that embodies several of China’s economic woes. Milk is not a traditional mainstay of Chinese diets, but the Chinese government has long pushed people to drink more, citing its health benefits. The country has expanded its dairy production capacity and imported vast numbers of cattle in recent years as Beijing pursues food self-sufficiency. However, chronically low consumption has left the market sloshing with unwanted milk — driving down prices and pushing farmers to the brink — while
RSS