Cambodia finds 33 surrogate mothers during raid

PHNOM PENH: A raid by Cambodian authorities on an illegal surrogacy business in Phnom Penh uncovered 33 women paid to deliver babies for Chinese couples, police said on Saturday.

Five people, including a Chinese national, were arrested during the operation in the capital late on Friday, Keo Thea, head of the Phnom Penh Anti-Trafficking unit, told AFP.

"We found 33 surrogate mothers, some have already given birth, some are still pregnant," he said, adding that the women had been offered up to $10,000 to give birth for Chinese clients.

China’s easing of its one-child policy two years ago has produced booming demand for fertility clinics, with figures estimating that 90 million women became eligible for another child after the rule was phased out.

But surrogacy is illegal in China, forcing those who can afford it to look for potential options abroad.

Southeast Asia was long a popular international surrogacy destination, with cheap medical costs, a large pool of poor young women and no laws excluding gay couples or single parents.