South-East Asia (Page 1,556)

The House’s approval of all four bills seeking to amend the Civil and Commercial Code to allow same-sex marriages in the country during their first reading has received positive responses from members of society, according to government spokesman Chai Watcharonke.

The bills aim to amend 68 provisions under the Civil and Commercial Code to redefine terms to ensure gender equality and diversity. All four bills received 369 of 380 votes of approval, with one abstention, on Friday. The bills are expected to still be read for a second time.

Mr Chai said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that one of the bills’ principles is to certify the marriage registration of people based on their gender identification.

The government previously promised to help support gender equality under the law but also during pro-LGBT events, such as Pride.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin met the CEO of InterPride, organisers of Pride parades, in November to seek an opportunity to host World Pride Event 2028 in Bangkok, Mr Chai said.

Pheu Thai MP for Kanchanaburi Akkaranan Kankittinan, also a member of the ad hoc committee for the government’s version of the bill, said a first committee is set to be created within 60 days. However, its first meeting has not been agreed upon.

Parit Wacharasindhu, Move Forward Party list-MP, said the bills’ approval is a prime example of how to coordinate gender issues between the opposition and the government.

As the bills allow equal rights to marriage, they are crucial for all citizens, not just specific genders, he said.

“Approving the four bills during the first reading is a sign that… people can rely on everyone in the House,” Mr Parit said.

However, experts said that there are conditions that must still be explained in the bills.

Nada Chaiyajit, lecturer at Mae Fah Luang University’s Faculty of Law, said when compared with a similar bill proposed by the MFP earlier, some conditions in the government’s version, such as legal terms, may differ.

She said that the Interior Ministry, as written in the MFP’s version, should be the one to enforce the law instead of the Justice Ministry.

Kittinun Daramadhaj, President of the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, said the final version of the legislation should be fair to all.

Thailand can be a model country for gender equality in the region as many of its neighbours still face challenges in terms of accepting LGBT rights, Mr Kittinun said.

Controversy grows over detention rule

Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been allowed by the Department of Corrections (DoC) to stay on at the Police General Hospital as he marked 120 days on Friday of receiving medical treatment there.

The move by the DoC comes amid criticism that a new regulation issued by the DoC that allows for the detention of qualified inmates outside of prison has been designed to benefit him.

Pol Col Sirikul Srisanga, spokeswoman of the Police General Hospital, said that the hospital had informed the DoC in writing about Thaksin’s medical conditions.

“Regarding Thaksin’s illnesses and medical treatment, the hospital has already informed the DoC about the matter. Thaksin will continue to receive medical treatment here at the hospital,” she said.

According to a DoC regulation regarding the medical treatment of inmates outside prison, doctors must inform the DoC of the result of the treatment of a patient so the DoC will consider whether the patient will be allowed to continue receiving treatment outside of prison.

Pol Col Sirikul said that the 14th floor of the hospital building where Thaksin is staying is designated as a detention area for the convicted inmate as ordered by the court.

It is also a security area under the supervision of the DoC as stipulated by the Corrections Act, she said, adding that the hospital is only responsible for providing medical treatment for a patient.

Pol Col Sirikul added that the National Health Act further stipulates that information regarding a person’s health must be kept confidential, and no one is allowed to disclose it in a way that could cause damage to that person, except with his or her consent.

She also warned the media not to report stories about Thaksin in a way that would infringe on his rights or the rights of other patients in the hospital.

On Dec 6, the DoC issued the new rule in line with the Corrections Act BE 2560 (2017).

Under the regulation, prisoners allowed to be detained outside of prison must meet certain requirements stipulated by the DoC and be categorised by a screening panel set up by the department.

The venues for detaining them may include houses or buildings with registered addresses.

Thaksin, 74, returned to Thailand on Aug 22 after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was sentenced to eight years in three cases.

However, he was sent from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital that night for health reasons and has remained there since.

All eyes are on whether the new rule will benefit Thaksin.

Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin on Friday defended the rule.

“Thaksin will not be allowed to receive medical treatment outside of prison forever. It depends on a recommendation from doctors,” Mr Somsak said.

“Not everyone has the right to visit an inmate who receives medical treatment outside prison. This is not about concealing information, but it is about a regulation. The inmate will decide who will be allowed to visit.”

Mr Somsak also warned that members of the House committee on police affairs who plan to inspect the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital may be sued by Thaksin or his family unless they receive permission.

Writing on Facebook on Friday, Thaksin’s lawyer, Winyat Chartmontree, also warned against netizens on social media who demand the release of information regarding Thaksin’s medical conditions without his consent or those who accuse Thaksin of pretending to be sick or alleged that Thaksin is not staying at the Police General Hospital.

“This action may be deemed to be an infringement on the patient’s rights and a violation of human rights,” the lawyer said.

Previously, Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and People Reforming Thailand, lodged a petition with the Royal Thai Police, calling for an update on Thaksin’s health conditions and a list of medical specialists treating him.

He said the public wants to know if Thaksin is really ill and in need of special medical treatment and that he is not being given preferential treatment.

Mr Pichit has also accused the DoC of issuing the new regulation to benefit Thaksin.

The activist noted that Thaksin appeared physically fit when he arrived at Don Mueang airport on Aug 22.

When Thaksin’s condition quickly deteriorated, as reported, Mr Pichit and his group questioned whether the former PM was really ill and required treatment outside the facility.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit clarified on Friday a proposal to raise the excise tax on petrol in Greater Bangkok to encourage motorists to shift towards public transport was just an idea, saying he had no plan to implement it.

Mr Suriya apologised for the miscommunication and went on to say that the proposal was in fact an example he picked up from other countries and it was intended as a case study.

He insisted there was no plan to implement it.

The minister said that reducing the cost of living was the ministry’s priority and its plan to cap the fares of electric trains at 20 baht per trip would take effect within two years, without tax hikes on petrol.

On Wednesday, Mr Suriya said an increase of 0.50 baht per litre of petrol would motivate car drivers to use electric trains and the money would be used to subsidise the electric train system.

The proposal was raised at the meeting of senior transport officials to evaluate the ministry’s 20-baht fare policy, which is implemented by the State Railway of Thailand’s (SRT) Red Line and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority’s (MRT) Purple Line.

The tax income would be used to set up a fund to cover the losses which may be incurred by concession holders if the fares are capped to 20 baht per trip.

But the idea drew ire from Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, who said the tax hike would increase the living cost burden on people, which is actually the problem the government is trying to solve.

According to the energy minister, there were alternatives which the government should consider to find money to fund the government’s bid to keep train fares affordable.

The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has defended a PTT gas station against the accusation of a motorist that it cheated him out of almost 30 millilitres of petrol.

The man said he paid the five-litre petrol price in full yet received 28 millilitres less than he paid for.

Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of DIT said that the amount was well within the law, which permits gas stations to have a 1% fluctuation of every five litres that a customer refills. This means that for every five litres of petrol, a customer may receive up to 50 millilitres less or more than they paid for.

“This is an international standard — so when the motorist complained that he did not receive the full five litres, such a complaint is common. Although it is not against the law, we have our teams regularly check if any station has violated the rule,” he said.

The matter drew public attention after a motorist, Ritdech Daengpradit, uploaded a video clip on TikTok complaining that a petrol station in Saraburi did not dispense the exact five litres of fuel. He paid the full amount, but when he measured it, the amount was 28 millilitres short.

He asked to measure it twice and on the second time, he received 4.75 litres, or 25 millilitres short.

In the clip, a staff member told the man that the gas station abided by the law.

Mr Wattanasak said the DIT acknowledges the issue and always inspects petrol stations nationwide to check if their measures are accurate.

He said DIT officials inspected 14,000 petrol stations with a total of 180,000 fuel dispensers during the first half of this year and found that 29 fuel dispensers in 14 petrol stations provided an amount of petrol a little over the purchased amount. However, 11 fuel dispensers in five petrol stations provided petrol at a much lower rate than the 1% rate.

DIT took legal action against the five petrol stations and ordered the stations to fix the 11 fuel dispensers.

Since early this month, the department has beefed up the inspection in petrol stations nationwide, particularly outbound routes of Bangkok, as many people will travel to return home to provinces by car or public transport.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has agreed to take criminal action following two incidents of state officials being accused of misusing an official car for personal reasons, said its secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol yesterday.

The first case involves Itthipol Sunthornsima, deputy clerk of Chiang Rai city municipality, who was found to have used an official car for personal errands outside of office hours. The car was subsequently involved in an accident, resulting in damage to the vehicle.

The other case involves Taweep Phukpho, chairman of tambon Ban Mo administrative organisation in Sing Buri’s Phrom Buri district, who was found to have used an official car for personal purposes.

He said the NACC has found Mr Itthipol and Mr Taweep in the wrong under Sections 151 and 157 of the Criminal Proceedings Act and Section 172 of the organic law on anti-corruption and forwarded the cases to prosecutors.

He said the agency had also found Mr Itthipol guilty of a serious violation of discipline and submitted the findings to his supervisors for further action in which Mr Itthipol will be ordered to pay damages under the civil liability law.

The Ban Mo authorities should ensure Mr Taweep pays in accordance with his civil liability, said Mr Niwatchai.

Company boss tried to kill his wife, son

A Taiwanese businessman and two retired navy officers have been arrested by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police in connection with a foiled murder plot.

The arrests were made during raids yesterday at eight locations in Chon Buri and Bangkok.

They followed a complaint filed with the CSD by a Taiwanese man, who accused his father, Feng Hao Chang, 68, a wealthy Taiwanese businessman, of soliciting RAdm Prakaipruek Srifa, 64, an adviser to his company, to hire a gunman to kill him and his mother.

RAdm Prakaipruek subsequently asked Tewarat Mangkorn, 66, a former navy captain and close associate, to hire a gunman to carry out the murders.

However, the gunman revealed the murder plot to the Taiwanese man, who then filed the police complaint.

In the raids, CSD police arrested Mr Feng at his home on Srinakarin Road in Bangkok’s Prawet district, RAdm Prakaipruek at his home in Lat Krabang district, and Tewarat at his residence in Thawi Watthana district.

Pol Col Anek Taosupap, the CSD deputy commander, said business conflicts were suspected as the motive behind Mr Feng wanting to kill his son and wife.

The three suspects face initial charges of hiring a person to commit murder. They denied the accusations.

They were taken to CSD headquarters for further questioning.

According to investigators, his son, identified only as James, had filed a police complaint about business conflicts in his father’s company.

Mr James told the police that he argued with his father over the directorship of a company established in 1998 that exported electronic equipment worth more than a billion baht.

Mr Feng and Mr James have filed a number of lawsuits against each other since 2022, resulting in at least 20 cases demanding the removal of each other from the firm’s board of directors.

On Aug 1, RAdm Prakaipruek, Mr Feng’s consultant, told Mr Tewarat to put cause disruptions at the company to undermine Mr James before hatching the murder plot.

Mr Tewarat was once a captain in the navy and was an expert in weapons and explosives.

He was later jailed for killing a police officer in Mae Sot in Tak in 2006 before being released recently after serving a life sentence.

Mr Feng and the two other suspects denied the charges.