Tammy Davis-Charles, 49, has been in custody since her arrest in November last year, weeks after Cambodia abruptly banned commercial surrogacy. Davis-Charles, who advertised surrogacy services online, was accused of bringing more than 23 Cambodian women into the trade for 18 Australian and five American couples. Surrogacy agencies started sprouting up in Cambodia in 2015 after neighbouring Thailand shut down the trade following a series of scandals, including tussles over custody. But in late 2016 authorities shut down the trade and refused to recognise birth certificates for babies, leaving many foreign couples in limbo. "There is certainly still surrogacy going on underground," said Sam Everingham, director of the Australia-based consultancy Families Through Surrogacy.

Source: The Nation Bangkok August 03, 2017 06:33 UTC