BANGKOK, Dec 22 (TNA, REUTERS) – The Thai parliament on Thursday approved the first reading of four draft bills on same-sex marriage.
In a significant decision with a majority vote of 369:10, the Parliament accepted the principles for the bills. After Parliament’s initial approval, a committee of 39 members will be formed to scrutinize the four proposed drafts before they will be tabled for the second and final readings.
The four draft bills deliberated on Thursday include one tabled by the new government that came to power after the May general election, another by civil society groups, and two others from opposition Move Forward and the Democrats parties, all of which bear similar approaches.
“In principle, this draft law is for the amendment of some provisions in the civic codes to open the way for lovers, regardless of their gender, to engage and get married,” Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin told parliament about the government’s draft bill.
“This will provide rights, responsibilities and family status as equal to the marriage between a man and a woman presently in all aspects,” he said.
Somsak said the government conducted a survey between Oct. 31 and Nov. 14 that showed 96.6% public support for the draft bill.
Thailand has one of Asia’s most open and visible lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities but many political activists say the country’s laws and institutions have yet to reflect changing social attitudes and still discriminate against LGBT people and same-sex couples.
If the draft law is approved by parliament and receives royal assent, Thailand would become the third place in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal to recognise same-sex marriage. (TNA, REUTERS)
