Daily Times

Thirty-three pregnant Cambodian women who were carrying babies on behalf of Chinese clients have been discovered during a raid on an illegal commercial surrogacy operation, police said on Saturday.

Five people, including a Chinese manager, were arrested following raids at two apartments in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, police said.

Cambodia had been a popular international destination for infertile couples looking to have babies through commercial surrogacy even though it is was made illegal in 2016.

Keo Thea, director of Phnom Penh’s anti-trafficking office, told Reuters on Saturday that five people, including four Cambodian women and the male Chinese manager, had been detained during a police raid on Thursday.

“Our authorities have charged them with human trafficking and being intermediaries in surrogacy,” Keo Thea said.

The pregnant women would not face charges at the moment, he said.

“They are carrying babies for Chinese nationals,” he said, adding that each woman was promised $10,000 for the service.

Published in Daily Times, June 24^th 2018.