Taiwanese authorities arrested a Chinese national and two Taiwanese accomplices over an alleged illegal surrogacy network operating across Malaysia and Thailand.
The Taichung District Prosecutors Office reported that 34 year old Chinese national Cheng was arrested for allegedly operating the cross-border surrogacy network with other accomplices.
Two Taiwanese suspects, 40 year old Hsu and 54 year old Wu, were also detained during the operation. Authorities are continuing to investigate two other Chinese suspects, both surnamed Liu.
According to a report by Taipei Times, the network operated under the names UT Li She and Tonghe Xinsheng. The group advertised its surrogacy services through websites and social media, including photographs and personal details of mothers, most of whom were Thai nationals.
The clients, mostly Taiwanese men, selected surrogate mothers online before travelling to Malaysia to provide sperm and choose the sex of their babies. Sex selection required an additional payment, and more than 84% of the babies were male.
Embryos were created and transferred to Thai surrogate mothers in Malaysia. The women then returned to Thailand to continue their pregnancies.
After eight months, the surrogate mothers were taken to Taiwan on tourist visas to give birth at a clinic in Taichung provided by the network.
Taiwanese authorities raided the clinic on June 4 and reportedly found several Thai surrogate mothers waiting to give birth there. Investigators found that the network had been arranging 25 births for 22 Taiwanese men before the operation.
Commercial surrogacy is illegal in both Taiwan and Thailand. Sex selection is also restricted in Taiwan and is permitted only in cases involving genetic diseases.
Taiwanese authorities said the case remains under judicial proceedings. All suspects are considered accused persons until a final court judgment is issued.
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