Lom Sak district in Phetchabun has long been known for its sweet tamarind. But a new development that has brought unexpected notoriety to the area is leaving a bitter taste in everyone's mouths.
Lom Sak is now better known as the "home of surrogacy" — a district where young women have found a way to profit from their ability to bear children.
The delicious tamarind is still being planted by farmers, yet it is proving less profitable than the growth of another seed — for babies.
A total of 25 women from four of the 17 villages that make up tambon Pak Chong have been paid to become surrogate mothers, said a Pak Chong Tambon Administration Organisation official.
But on a visit to Ban Namduk Klang Moo 2, Ban Namkham Nuea Moo 5, Ban Pak-ok Moo 9 and Ban Huai Chan Moo 14, where the surrogacy cases had been reported, Bangkok Post Sunday was unable to track down any...
The surrogacy scandal came to light when the biological parents of Gammy, a baby with Down's syndrome born to a Thai mother — Wendy and David Farnell, an Australian couple — allegedly refused to take him. Investigations...
The 26-year-old woman was contracted to be a surrogate mother for 350,000 baht, her relative said. She needs to earn money for 10 family members who are crammed into a dilapidated hut. The family does...