BANGKOK, The Senate votes to accept the marriage equality bill in principle and establishes a committee for further study.
The bill was endorsed by the lower house last week and forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
The vote on Tuesday saw a significant majority of 147 in favor, 10 against, 7 abstaining out of 158 total members.
The draft amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code or the marriage equality bill will replace terms such as ‘men and women’ and ‘husband and wife,’ with gender-neutral terms like ‘individuals’ and ‘marriage partners’ ensuring inclusivity for same- sex couples.
Following this, a committee of 27 members will be established to further study the bill and propose amendments within 7 days.
If it becomes the law, Thailand will be the first country in the Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex unions.
Source: Thai News Agency