Thai police and several non-governmental organizations have rescued 15 Vietnamese women who claimed they had been tricked into working as surrogate mothers.

 

The women, who are 30 years old on average, were discovered during a police raid in Bangkok Wednesday.

 

The raid of the 101 Babies Company was prompted by requests from four of the women, who had sought help at the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand.

 

The women said that they had been brought from Vietnam to Thailand by brokers who promised them good jobs.

 

However, when they arrived in Thailand, they claimed they had their passports seized by Shen Pai Wan, manager of the company.

 

The women said they were forced to work as surrogate mothers and paid US$5,000 per baby.

During their pregnancy, they said they were confined to a pair of houses where they were frequently examined by doctors in case they were pregnant.

 

The surrogacy was conducted using in-vitro fertilization at the local Serilak hospital, they said.

 

Pham Minh Tuan, representative of the embassy, said one of the women delivered a child a couple of days ago, and half of women are still pregnant.

 

They came from the southern provinces of Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Can Tho City, and are currently staying at a refuge run by the Thai Labor Ministry, he added.

 

In the meantime, Thai police have sought charges against the company and its chief Xieng Lung Lo.

 

Lo stands accused of human trafficking, illegal employment and illegally hiding foreigners.

 

Pansak, vice director of Thai Immigration Police, said his agency discovered several unregistered foreign employees working for the company, mainly contacting customers via phone and Internet.

 

Lo was said to have once been arrested in Taiwan for human trafficking. Authorities found he had forced Vietnamese and Cambodian women to ac as surrogate mothers there.

 

He then fled the territory and began the same racket in Bangkok.

 

He allegedly charged $50,000, per surrogacy.

 

A police investigation remains underway.