Same-sex couples flock to make marriages legal as Thailand changes law

A couple from the LGBT+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand (Sakchai Lalit/AP)

Hundreds of LGBT+ couples in Thailand were expected to make their wedded status legal on Thursday, the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.