Latest King Maha Vajiralongkorn News

Relic of the Buddha loaned by China gets a warm welcome in Thailand

Dec. 04, 2024 19:28 PM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — More than 2,000 people took part Wednesday in a procession to escort a relic of the Buddha lent by China to a shrine in the Thai capital Bangkok to honor the birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and to celebrate half a century of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China. ...

A rare ceremony in Thailand marks the king's auspicious 72nd birthday

Dec. 03, 2024 09:42 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday presided over a parade that saw the queen lead hundreds of military personnel in honor of his 72nd birthday. It was the first such ceremony in Bangkok’s vast Royal Plaza in 16 years. Birthdays...

Small town in Thailand hold mass cremation for 23 who died in a school trip bus fire

Oct. 08, 2024 21:24 PM EDT

LAN SAK, Thailand (AP) — Mourners wept and monks prayed at a cremation ceremony Tuesday in a small town in central Thailand for 23 young students and teachers who died in last week’s bus fire on a school field trip. A large cremation site was set up close to the temple in Lan Sak...

Memories and prayers are shared at a small-town funeral for the victims of horrific Thai bus fire

Oct. 03, 2024 10:07 AM EDT

LAN SAK, Thailand (AP) — At a Buddhist temple in central Thailand, Wichan Seubsaichan recalled his 9-year-old son as a well-mannered boy who loved school and sports, and enjoyed participating in many activities since he was a toddler. The boy, Reutthawat, had been asking him for a...

AP PHOTOS: As Thailand approves same-sex marriage, a couple celebrates feeling freed

Sep. 25, 2024 06:28 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — Kunchanok Khantiphong and Edward Jonathan Caiga were at work when Thailand's Senate voted to allow same-sex marriages on a June afternoon. At home that evening, the couple celebrated over hopeful conversations of how their lives would change. Marriage and building a...

Thailand legalizes same-sex marriage, allows couples to wed starting in January

Sep. 24, 2024 22:52 PM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law Tuesday, allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. The law was published in the Royal Gazette after endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and will come into effect in 120 days. This means...