Thailand

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Lawmakers in Thailand overwhelmingly approve a bill to legalize same-sex marriage

BANGKOK (AP) — Lawmakers in Thailand’s lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-marriage-same-sex-equality-law-9a2f9da6b5b36a1cf70dee5caec70e23?

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Thailand will become the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after the kingdom's Senate approved a marriage equality bill today, with supporters calling it a "monumental step forward for LGBTQ+ rights." Thailand's Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of passing the bill, with 130 lawmakers supporting the measure and four opposing it. The result of the vote means that Thailand will become only the third place in Asia to allow for marriage equality after Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019 and Nepal in 2023. Meanwhile, in the US, six states blocked the Biden administration's new protections for LGBTQ+ students on Monday. The new rules require schools to protect students from all sex discrimination amid a recent spate of laws aimed at limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. 

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A YouTube chef, who’s the son of a famous Spanish actor, is sentenced to life in prison for murder

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand on Thursday found Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a member of a famous Spanish acting family, guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced him to life in prison, in a lurid case that involved the victim being dismembered.

https://apnews.com/article/spanish-actors-phangan-youtube-chef-thailand-prison-murder-0589a451fd5f6665d797f306e6d7eaff?

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The water was their livelihood. Now Thailand’s sea nomads work to preserve a vanishing way of life

SURIN ISLANDS, Thailand (AP) — When Hook was a child, he started his days by jumping off the boat that his family lived on and into the ocean. By age 3, he could already swim and dive in shallow waters. His home was a kabang, a boat, that his family sailed in Thailand’s southern waters. The ocean was his backyard.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-sea-nomads-tsunami-moken-01bbf0c099652e6bd7f67ef191b73e8a?

[phkrause]

Thailand marriage equality

Hundreds of same-sex couples are tying the knot across Thailand today as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality. The landmark bill marks a momentous win for the LGBTQ+ community, which has fought for more than a decade for the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. Under the legislation, passed by Thailand's parliament and endorsed by the king last year, same-sex couples are now able to register their marriages with full legal, financial, and medical rights, as well as adoption and inheritance rights.

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Court suspends Thailand’s prime minister to investigate a leaked phone call

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday, pending an ethics investigation over accusations that she was too deferential to a senior Cambodian leader when the two discussed a recent border dispute in a phone call that was leaked.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-cabinet-paetongtarn-leak-call-cambodia-f44701c7e21a99f894fa94981a79ee8d?

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Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng’s first birthday at a Thailand zoo

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-hippo-moo-deng-birthday-3c14081f7484128e2ce532a8435f8f4c?

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Thai woman found alive in coffin after being brought in for cremation

BANGKOK (AP) — A woman in Thailand shocked temple staff when she started moving in her coffin after being brought in for cremation.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-coffin-temple-woman-alive-c8463969db288c356d76ec189b3c3cec?

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Thailand’s ruling Bhumjaithai party tops election that marks a conservative comeback

BANGKOK (AP) — The Bhumjaithai Party of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is on track to win the most seats in Thailand’s general election, according to unofficial results released by the state Election Commission after about 94% of polling stations had reported Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/thailand-general-election-2026-result-69186c8fce2df62e2bff0cc56234401e?