Thailand News Today | Thai Parliament passes Marriage Equality Bill

Thailand’s Parliament passed the Marriage Equality Bill in the first reading with 210 votes in favour, 180 votes in opposition and 4 abstentions.

The bill – previously rejected by Cabinet in March – was pushed by Thailand’s Move Forward Party. A parliamentary committee has been set up to scrutinise the bill over the next 15 days before it is submitted for its second and final readings in the House of Representatives. The bill would allow same-sex marriage.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet passed the Civil Partnership Bill, drafted by the Justice Ministry, which would allow same-sex couples to register their partnerships. The Civil Partnership Bill offers similar privileges enjoyed by heterosexual married couples, such as adopting children, jointly managing assets and making decisions regarding medical treatment on behalf of their partners.

Yesterday, a group of LGBTQ+ protestors gathered outside parliament yesterday to call for the Cabinet to pass the Marriage Equality Bill, which would make Thailand’s marriage laws applicable to any couple regardless of their gender. The protestors reject the Civil Partnership Bill, stating that they want equality and not special treatment.

The Marriage Equality Bill proposes that the terminology in Thailand’s current marriage laws are changed from “husband” and “wife” to “spouse,” and from “man” and “woman” to “person.” If the bill is successful in further readings, same-sex couples will be able to enjoy all the same rights and privileges currently enjoyed by married couples in Thailand, such as adopting children, making medical decisions on behalf of their partners and inheriting from their partner in the case that they die.

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A new draft law will allow people who have been convicted of a crime and served their sentence to wipe the slate clean and start again.

In the past, ex-cons have found it difficult to find gainful employment after serving their sentence and as a consequence have gone on to reoffend. But if this new bill is passed, it will change all that.

Chawalit Wichayasut, a Pheu Thai Party MP for Nakhon Phanom, in his capacity as vice-chairman of the House committee on justice and human rights, acknowledged that the legislative proposal is aimed at improving opportunities for those seeking new employment after having their criminal records expunged.

A Royal Thai Police official at the committee meeting to discuss the bill yesterday revealed there are about 12 million people who have a criminal record, 150,000 of whom are criminal suspects who haven’t been incriminated or acquitted.

The House committee yesterday agreed in principle that these people deserve to have their criminal records erased from every police database.

The bill is expected to be introduced in September.

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Grab your rain boots once again! As rain pours down on Thailand, the country’s meteorological department has warned today that flash floods and overflows are expected in upper Thailand from Jun 19-21, Sunday to Tuesday.

During these days, the southwest monsoon will strengthen and the monsoon trough will move down from across Myanmar and upper Laos.

The department expects more rain in western Thailand, with isolated heavy showers in the North, the upper Northeast, the East, and the South. It warns people in upper Thailand particularly to be extra cautious about transport, and be aware that the conditions can cause flash floods and overflows.

From June 19-21, the North, the upper Northeast, the East, and the South are expected to have isolated heavy rains in 40-60% of their areas, with the North and Northeast also experiencing gusty winds in 40-60% of their areas.

From today (Thursday) until June 21, Northern, Northeastern, and Eastern Thailand are expected to have thunder showers in 20-40% of their areas, while the South is expected to have thunder showers in 40-60% of its areas.

In the South and East, waves are expected to be 1-2 metres high, and 2 metres high during thundershowers.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok area is expected to have isolated heavy rains in 40-60% of it from June 19-21, and thunder showers in 20-40% of it from today until Saturday (June 18).

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After thousands of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shores of Krabi’s Bokrani National Park earlier this week, Thailand’s tourism authorities are warning of more venomous jellyfish to come.

On Facebook, the TAT has urged swimmers and snorkelers not to take any risks on beaches where jellyfish warning signs have been posted.

The TAT acknowledged that it’s “extremely rare” for swimmers to be stung, it cautioned beachgoers to be aware that jellyfish are present, particularly in Thailand’s south, due to the “season of venomous jellyfish”.

After the fire jellyfish scare in Krabi earlier this week, the head of the national park warned that fire jellyfish are very venomous, and getting stung by one causes severe burning pain, or even death in cases which produce a severe allergic reaction. The “fire jellyfish,” doesn’t get its name from its pinkish-red colour but from its potent sting.

If you get stung by a fire jellyfish, the best thing to do is immediately pour vinegar onto the affected area.

Last year, a 9 year old Israeli boy was killed by a jellyfish sting in Koh Phangan. The family had been spending a day at Haad Rin beach on the southeast side of the island, when a box jellyfish stung the boy. The box jellyfish is said to be one of the world’s most deadly creatures. It can be found all year in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, but the venomous jellyfish are most prevalent from July to October.

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As if Thailand didn’t have enough dogs roaming the streets already, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Engineering has manufactured a pack of robot dogs which have been spotted “playing” on a field at the university’s campus in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

An unsettling video of the robot dogs posted on Facebook has netizens divided on whether the dogs – which can run, lie down and roll over – are cute, terrifying or hilarious.

“If I can’t eat it, then it’s not a dog.”

“Does it hurt when they bite?”

“Scary!”

The post didn’t state whether the dogs are designed to serve any kind of purpose or if they are just a showcase of the faculty’s engineering talent. Perhaps the dogs will chase away the packs of real dogs which freely roam the university’s huge campus, sometimes causing havoc by chasing motorbikes or attacking students.

One Facebook user joked that the dogs are robotic replacements of CMU’s late beloved mascot dog, who loved leading new students up Doi Suthep mountain to pay respects at the temple. The dog named Tia, suspected to be 8 or 9 years old, died in suspicious circumstances last year.

Tia the dog went missing on May 4 and her body was found behind Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna on May 7. CCTV footage showed the dog being driven out of the university on a motorcycle on the night of May 4. ThaiRath reported that a policeman was charged with theft, torturing animals and disposing of an animal carcass in relation to Tia’s death.