Remarkable: baby farm rolled up in Bangkok

Immigration broke up a baby farm in Bangkok last week. 13 Vietnamese women were freed, seven of them pregnant. Remarkably enough, the message has attracted little or no attention in the international media.

A baby farm? Yes, a breeding ground for babies, run by a company from Taiwan. On its own website, the company tries to explain in broken English that childless parents can hire a surrogate mother here for a fee. Provided with your own sperm or egg if desired, or fertilized by an unknown person. Four Taiwanese and one Chinese employee were arrested during the raid. One of the Vietnamese women had given birth in Minburi last Monday.

The women received an amount of about US$5000 per baby, while the Taiwanese company asked customers ten times that. The Vietnamese women became nasty Thailand lured with the promise of a good job, but had to hand in their passports upon arrival.

However, the Thai judiciary is at a loss. Commercial surrogacy is officially banned in Thailand, but the figures behind the entire baby operation have disappeared. The people who were caught are only accused of human trafficking, while the surrogate mothers are charged with exceeding their visa term. Two Thai doctors may be involved in the trade. Until now, those involved do not appear to feel the need to cooperate with the judicial investigation. The company has reportedly been operating for a year now.