Impoverished Phetchabun is Thailand's baby factory
Lom Sak district in Phetchabun province, famous for its sweet tamarind (tamarindus indica), is the birthplace of (commercial) surrogate mothers, writes Bangkok Post Today. Lom Sak now has a new nickname: Home of Surrogacy.
The surrogate mothers provide considerably more income than can be earned by growing the delicious fruit. A baby is good for 300.000 to 350.000 baht and many impoverished families can use that money (photo).
Or rather: could, because since the government has announced that it will criminalize commercial surrogacy, women no longer dare to take on the adventure for fear that they will be arrested.
According to an official of the Pak Chong Tambon Administration Organization [Pak Chong is a tambon in Lom Sak], 25 women from four of Pak Chong's 12 villages have given birth by order: XNUMX women this year and the rest last year. Bangkok Post has tried to trace them in the four villages but was unsuccessful. According to the governor of the province, they are all in Bangkok.
The surrogacy scandal came to light after media reports of an Australian couple allegedly refusing to accept Gammy, a baby with Down syndrome. It only took the healthy twin sister to Australia.
Since then, the news has followed each other in rapid succession. Nine babies were found with their nurse in a flat in Bang Kapi and eleven with their surrogate mother in a flat at 130 Soi Lat Phrao. A Japanese man is suspected of having fathered at least 15 babies through IVF treatment. He is said to have brought three of them to Cambodia. Since 2010, he has visited Thailand 41 times.
The police investigation is now focusing on the All IVF Center on Witthayu Road. The director is suspected of having performed the IVF treatments for the Japanese. Two of the surrogate mothers found in Lat Phrao have confirmed this (photo home page). Five other mothers are still being called to testify.
The doctor-director should originally have come to the police on Friday, but his lawyer has asked for a postponement. That has been granted until September 5. If he does not show up, an arrest warrant will be issued against him.
Interpol is also involved in the case. Regional offices in Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong and India are investigating the Japanese. He owns apartments in those countries and has registered businesses there. "We are investigating two motives," said Kokiat Wongvorachart, one of the detectives working on the case. "One is human trafficking and the second exploitation of children."
(Source: bangkok mail, August 24st 2014)
Previous posts:
Australian couple refuse Down baby from surrogate mother
Gammy's parents: We didn't know he existed
Gammy has a healthy heart, the hospital says
Nine baby carriers found; Japanese would be the father
Ban on commercial surrogacy in the works
Japanese 'father' flees; suspicions of human trafficking
The case of surrogate mothers: The (Japanese) birds have flown
Fine journalism about class justice and surrogacy
Seventeen babies, one daddy
Interpol ignores baby trade warning
Second IVF clinic closed
Canberra is asking for transitional arrangements for 200 couples
IVF doctor must report; ministry promises help to mothers
News from Thailand: August 19, 20, 21 and 22
It is good that the finger is once again put on the tumor called poverty. Deep poverty and the lack of a national safety net. That drives these people into the hands of -mentioned above- and people who recruit sex workers and drug couriers.
As long as this country is ruled by the top layer consisting of Sino-Thai and other wealthy families who only have to snap their fingers for the uniforms to intervene, there will be no change. As long as people who come to power after elections shamelessly enrich themselves on the backs of the poor, the uniforms will keep coming and nothing will change.
“People” will soon be ashamed of this commercial surrogacy and argue that one can save for old age at the SSO, but where there is nothing, rice must also be put on the shelf! I don't blame those people there. Look at those shacks and you know that minimum wage there only exists on paper.
Dear Erik,
I have no idea where you get the idea that the wealthy families are behind the military coup. So far, both sides of the political spectrum (red and yellow) have been ruled by wealthy families. So: which families are you talking about? If you look a bit at what is happening now, ALL rich families cannot be happy with the policies of the junta, at least in the short term. In the long run, hopefully everyone in this country will benefit.
A very large part of the Thai population works in the informal sector: has a small business in agriculture, in the sale of fruit, t-shirts, lottery tickets, in the catering industry, supermarket goods, has a taxi or moped taxi or tuk-tuk. There the minimum wage does not apply at all because they are not employed. So: it does exist, is probably also evaded, but does not apply to everyone.
Poverty in some areas of Thailand is not the only cause of the baby factory. For the babies, a market is needed to keep this business running. In the so-called “developed” world, many babies and children are available who could have a bright future in a childminder or adoptive family. But why are these children still in shelters, children's homes? Families, couples eager to adopt a child have to go through lengthy, complicated and bureaucratic procedures to be eligible. Due to the cutbacks and mismanagement at youth care and similar institutions, it is sad for prospective adoptive parents to see that an adopted child remains an unattainable dream. That is why I am not surprised that parents who have enough (a lot of) money have found their way out to Thailand, Cambodia, India, Hong Kong and Mexico. They then fulfill their wish to have children and deposit a lot of money in the poverty areas. Although I think the part the surrogate mother gets is probably a small part and most of the money goes into the pockets of the other "organizers". All in all, a complicated matter with deeply tragic ? ethical? and economic aspects, but here too the basic law of a business applies; If there is a market, there is (or will be) a product. If you want to do something about a product, you will first have to look at the market.