Top National Thailand Stories From the Past Week: Historic Same-Sex Marriage Act Passed, and More

Here is a look at the top NATIONAL Thailand stories, chosen by our Pattaya News/TPN National team, from last week, Monday, June 17th, to Sunday, June 23rd, 2024.

They are not in any particular level of importance but are listed in the order of date of publication.

1. At the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court, prosecutors from the Criminal Litigation Office charged former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code or Lèse-Majesté, following his 2015 interview with South Korea’s Chosun Media.

The interview dated back to May 21st, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea, deemed offensive to the monarchy, led to charges under both the Lèse-Majesté law and the Computer Crimes Act for disseminating false information.

2. The Thai Constitutional Court convened to deliberate on several high-profile cases, including the Election Commission’s (EC) petition to dissolve the Move Forward Party (MFP), a case involving Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Minister Pichit Chuenban, legal issues surrounding Thaksin Shinawatra, and the election of senators.

The court dismissed the petition concerning Pichit but accepted the one regarding Srettha, requesting relevant documents within 15 days for further review on July 10th, 2024.

3. Thailand’s Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve a historic same-sex marriage bill, officially making Thailand the first nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

The law will come into force 120 days after it is published in the royal gazette.

4. An Italian man was arrested on Samui Island after he allegedly sold cocaine and illegally operated a rental motorbike shop with 70 motorbikes using a Thai nominee to disguise his ownership.

Mr. Mattio had gotten married to a Thai woman and used money from selling cocaine to open the motorbike rental shop.

5. Mr. Wissanu Krea-ngam, the Advisor to the Thai Prime Minister, announced the results of the investigation following the conflicts between Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, the Police Chief, and Pol. Gen. Surachet Hakparn, the Deputy Police Chief, often known by his playful nickname Big Joke.

The conflicts between the various groups involved continue.

Thank you and see you next week!

The original version of this article appeared on our sister website, The TPN National News, owned by our parent company TPN media.