Six Thai surrogate mothers of nine babies fathered by a young Japanese man, Mitsutoki Shigeta, have accused the Social Development and Human Security Ministry of illegally keeping and poorly treating their children.
Some of the nine babies and their surrogate mothers on the day of the raid last August (file photo)
Permanent secretary of the ministry Vichien Chavalit said on Wednesday that the women's lawyer filed the complaint with the Central Juvenile and Family Court. They accuse the ministry of illegally taking the babies away from them and treating the infants poorly.
Mr Vichien said he believed everyone knew the facts concerning the surrogacy case, and that the ministry only intended to ensure the best protection for the babies, not to separate them from their mothers.
He denied earlier reports that the Japanese man had filed a lawsuit against the ministry.
Suwanna Pinkaeo, director of the Bureau of Women and Child Welfare Protection, said the defendants in the lawsuit are the ministry and the permanent secretary. The nine babies of the six surrogate mothers included three sets of twins.
The lawsuit was filed in mid-December last year. The plaintiffs said the ministry had separated the babies from their mothers at a condominium in Lat Phrao area of Bangkok, rejected the women's request for the return of their infants, and was poorly raising them.
Mrs Suwanna said that the ministry did not reject their request for the return of their babies. It was still evaluating whether the women had the resources necessary to keep and care for the infants. The evaluation would take some time, to ensure the best future for the babies.
She also insisted that the children were receiving good care at the ministry's baby home and said that all nine babies showed good development.
The mothers often visited the babies, but some of them had been bad tempered and refused to abide by the baby home's regulations, the director said.
Staff would not allow anyone to annoy the babies when they were sleeping, Mrs Suwanna added.
The nine babies were fathered by the 24-year-old Japanese businessman, Mr Shigeta, who has been linked to a total of 15 babies born to surrogate mothers in Thailand.
A raid on the Niche ID condominium on Lat Phrao Soi 130 on Aug 5, 2014, found the nine babies, aged then between three months and two years, and a seven-months pregnant woman in three rooms in the condo building.
The raid was led by Pavena Hongsakula, chairwoman of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, accompanied by a combined team of police and soldiers.
The raid followed reports that a group of Thai women had been paid by foreign couples to be surrogate mothers for their children.
Police initially suspected the case was linked to human trafficking. The Japanese man left Thailand quietly about the time of the raid and has not since returned.