Share

Japanese man planned to sire 1 000 children

Bangkok - A Japanese man suspected of fathering at least 15 surrogate children in Thailand planned to sire as many as 1 000, The Japan Times reported on Friday.

The 24-year-old man said he wanted to produce between 100 and 1 000 babies, according to the co-founder of an organisation that provides surrogate services in Thailand and other countries.

"The best thing I can do for the world is to leave many children," Mariam Kukunashvili of New Life Global Network quoted him as saying.

She said she refused to introduce him to more surrogate mothers, and reported her suspicions to the Japanese embassy and Interpol.

Thai police are investigating the man for possible trafficking offences, after it emerged that he had taken three babies out of the country in the past year, Police General Ek Ungsananont said.

Surrogacy laws

Investigators said DNA tests confirmed that nine infants found in a Thai condominium last week shared a common father, Kapook.com news site reported. Each child was under the care of individual nannies.

The apartment and the nannies were registered under the name of the Japanese man, who has since fled the country, police said.

Officials placed the infants in the care of social services.

Thailand has re-examined its surrogacy laws following a scandal involving a surrogate baby left behind in Thailand by an Australian couple.

Authorities have been examining surrogacy clinics and practices around the country, but complain that legal loopholes make cases difficult to investigate.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Can radio hosts and media personalities be apolitical?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes, impartiality is key for public trust
32% - 429 votes
No, let's be real, we all have inherent biases
68% - 911 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.29
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.87
-1.1%
Rand - Euro
20.58
-1.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
-1.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-1.2%
Platinum
943.50
+0.0%
Palladium
1,034.50
-0.1%
Gold
2,391.84
+0.0%
Silver
28.68
+0.0%
Brent Crude
87.29
+0.2%
Top 40
67,314
+0.2%
All Share
73,364
+0.1%
Resource 10
63,285
-0.0%
Industrial 25
98,701
+0.3%
Financial 15
15,499
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE