BANGKOK, May 29 (TNA) – Twenty three people including
five Chinese nationals have been charged with illegal commercial surrogacy
after a year-long investigation by Thai police.
Five Thai doctors, a physician and 12 agents have been
arrested for allegedly conspiring in the transnational surrogacy ring. Four of the five Chinese nationals accused of
running the commercial surrogacy have been held by police while the other had
fled the country, according to police.
The ring operation was tipped last year before police raided
at least 10 locations in Thailand, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, Sukhothai
and Pathum Thani earlier this year.
The Royal Thai Police’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division
(ATPD) said it had seized 500 million baht and assets worth over 1 billion baht
from the ring members.
Around 300 Thai women who were hired to be surrogate mothers
had been protected as witnesses, ATPD said.
The suspects face up to 15 years imprisonment and
300,000-baht fine if found guilty under the anti-surrogacy law enacted in 2015.
(TNA)
