When the draft law is enacted, a woman can face rape charges and a husband can be punished for sexually violating his wife.

To the outrage of women's rights activists, current laws define a rapist as a person who rapes a woman who is not his wife thus tacitly granting impunity to a husband who rapes his wife.

"The courts need not worry

that there will be lots of rape

complaints filed by wives against her husband. Normally, a woman will be very cautious about making such a move," NLA member Kanchana Silapa-archa said.

The bill is being drafted to amend criminal laws.

In the bill, the definition of rape has also changed to a broader scope to cover female offenders too. Many NLA members insisted there was evidence that a female could rape a male. The definition is also broad enough to convict homosexual rapists.

Under current laws, no female defendant can appear before the courts to face rape charges.

The bill has prescribed a jail term of up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of Bt40,000 for a convicted rapist.

Following a heated debate, the NLA passed the bill with 118

votes, five against, and four abstentions.

The move was warmly received.

"In the past, there have been

so many husbands who've raped their wives and gone unpunished," Thammasat University law lec-turer Dr Matalak Seramethakul said.

She was among academics and women's right activists who have long demanded that the legal definition of a rapist be revised.

Natee Teerarojjanapongs, director of the Thai Political Gay Group, said many gay men were raped by women, who were known as Fag Hags.

The term refers to women who associate mostly and exclusively with gay men either because they like their company or are secretly sexually attracted to gay men.

"After the rape takes place, these women demand that the gay men marry them to show responsibility. Some gay men agree to the demand," he said.

Prapasri Osathanon

 The Nation