Thailand to Be Southeast Asia’s Pioneer With Enactment Of Same-Sex Union Bill

Thailand ratified a bill that will help it become the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex unions.

The Cabinet approved the draft legislation after receiving opinions from LGBTQ and religious groups, which don’t object to the proposal, Ratchada Thanadirek, a government spokesperson, said in a statement. The bill will be forwarded to Parliament for approval before becoming law.

The bill doesn’t go as far as endorsing same-sex marriage, but will enable couples to adopt children, jointly manage assets and liabilities and have inheritance and heritage rights between partners — which are not part of current laws.

If passed, Thailand would become the second jurisdiction in Asia to allow same-gender unions, with Taiwan having legalized same-sex marriage in 2019. The Cabinet’s move on Tuesday comes six months after the Constitutional Court ruled that laws should be expanded to guarantee greater rights for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer individuals but stopped short of granting marriage equality.

More https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-07/thailand-to-be-southeast-asia-s-pioneer-with-same-sex-union-bill

Official Thai Govt Statement

Cabinet green light! Draft of the Marriage Act Open the way for same-sex couples to register as a life partner adopt and manage inheritance

Cabinet green light! Draft of the Marriage Act Open the way for same sex couples to register as a life partner adopt and manage inheritance

Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office Revealed after the Cabinet meeting (Cabinet) on June 7, 2022 that the Cabinet approved the draft of the Marriage Act B.E. …. and the draft law amending the Civil and Commercial Code (No. ..) B.E. Prof. …. which has been reviewed by the Office of the Council of State as proposed by the Ministry of Justice To be a law that supports the relationship of family cohabitation between people of the same sex. with foster care and relationships in other areas They are not different from their spouses. LGBT people need laws that guarantee their right to form a family. and representatives of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam does not interfere with the said law because I understand that Thailand is a multicultural society The two draft laws are detailed as follows:

The Draft of the Marriage Act B.E. …. this edition provides for the rights and duties of the spouses such as 1) the duty to support each other 2) the power to manage on behalf of the victim in a criminal case as husband or wife 3) the right to jointly adopt a child 4 a) the right to inherit as a statutory heir; 5) the right and duty to be a guardian or protector If the other party is a homeless person or quasi incompetent 6) the right to sign consent to medical treatment of the other party and 7) the right to manage the funeral For the essence of the draft Act, for example

Marriage means two persons who are born of the same sex. and have registered a spouse under this Act have the power to consider and adjudicate cases under this Act

Marriage registration can only be done if both parties agree, are 17 years of age and both have Thai nationality. or either party has Thai nationality including stipulating a person prohibited from registering a life partner, for example, both of them are blood relatives
Being a sibling of one’s parents or joint father or mother, etc. Must obtain the consent of the father, mother, adopter, guardian or court, and when the spouse is registered, the minor will
become of legal age

The spouse has the power to act on behalf of the victim as well as the husband or wife . and has the power to continue prosecuting the different deceased as the husband or wife under the Criminal Procedure Code (Criminal Procedure Code).

Property between spouses divided into personal property and property together Married couples will end in death. The court ordered the revocation. or the termination of a life partner including setting the grounds for filing a lawsuit for termination of being a spouse, for example, whether one partner supports or praises another person as a spouse, misbehaves, injures, physically or mentally tortures

Willingly abandon the other party for more than 1 year Including one spouse can register for a minor who is an adopted child of the other spouse as their adopted child.

When either partner dies The other spouse shall have the same rights and duties as the spouse in accordance with the provisions of the Civil and Commercial Code on Inheritance.

Requires that the provisions of the Civil and Commercial Code on spouses, families and adopted children apply mutatis mutandis in some cases

.Ms. Ratchada also said that the bill amending the Civil and Commercial Code (No. ..) B.E. …. are important as follows: 1. A man or a woman can marry while he or she has a “spouse” or “life partner”. 2. The grounds for divorce include: In the case of a husband or wife who cares for or honors others as a “life partner” 3. The right to receive a living allowance in the event of divorce If the party receiving the living allowance remarries or registers a spouse, the rights related to being a spouse under other laws Additional studies will be conducted to improve further. After this bill comes into effect