Thailand made history by legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation and the third in Asia, following Taiwan and Nepal, to do so.

Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom.

On Thursday, Joe and Mate will tie the knot in central Bangkok, joining roughly 200 couples in a joyful mass-wedding that marks a seismic shift in Thailand. After decades of campaigning and countless setbacks, the country is becoming the first in southeast Asia – and only the second in Asia after Taiwan – to introduce full marriage equality.

But in the 2019 election which returned Thailand to civilian rule, a new, youthful reformist party called Future Forward, which fully supported equal marriage, did unexpectedly well. They won the third-largest share of seats, revealing a growing hunger for change in Thailand.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage,

Thailand's historic same-sex marriage equality law came into force on Thursday, making it the first country in Southeast Asia and third territory in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal to legalise marriages of same-sex couples.

The Southeast Asian nation is the third jurisdiction in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal.

Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.

Thailand marked a historic milestone as 1,832 same-sex couples registered their marriages nationwide on January 23, 2025, the first day of the Marriage Equality Act implementation.

Thailand on Thursday became the first country in Southeast Asia to hold legal same-sex weddings, with LGBT groups aiming to mark the occasion with more than 1 000 marriage registrations in a single day.

Hundreds of couples this week are poised to marry in Thailand as its overwhelmingly popular marriage equality law goes into effect, according to multiple reports.