Police have rejected a DNA sample from the Japanese man who allegedly fathered at least 15 babies through Thai surrogates, saying the specimen submitted by his lawyer cannot be verified.
Mitsutoki Shigeta supposedly bragged that he had fathered a dozen or more babies, and wanted to be the father of at least 1,000 - presumably part of a plan for a Thailand-based "surrogate factory". (Photos courtesy of Immigration Bureau)
On Tuesday, Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Chayut Thanathaweerat called on 24-year-old businessman Mitsutoki Shigeta to travel to Thailand so he could provide a DNA sample in person.
Police cannot be sure the DNA sample submitted by Mr Shigeta's lawyer actually belongs to him because it had bypassed the standard verification process for such evidence, Pol Maj Gen Chayut said.
Mr Shigeta's DNA sample should have been sent through the Japanese embassy and a hospital before being handed over to the authorities, he said.
Since the sample came directly from his lawyer, it is impossible to confirm that the DNA belongs to Mr Shigeta as claimed, Pol Maj Gen Chayut said.
Mr Shigeta's lawyer Kong Suriyamonthon on Monday met police investigators at Lat Phrao police station to give his client's DNA sample to officers.
The best way to clarify the matter is for the Japanese man to meet police himself and undergo DNA tests, Pol Maj Gen Chayut said.
He added that a written statement does nothing to show the man is the father of the babies.
Police had remarked earlier that a statement submitted through Mr Shigeta's lawyer set out why the man wanted so many surrogate babies, but further details of his explanation are yet to be released.
Meanwhile, an academic has warned the surrogacy bill recently approved by the National Council for Peace and Order fails to protect the rights of surrogate mothers.
"We don't talk much about the rights of surrogate women," said Suchada Thaweesit, a women's rights activist and academic at Mahidol University's Institute for Population and Social Research.
Speaking at a seminar hosted by the National Human Rights Commission, Ms Suchada said many women are driven to become surrogate mothers by poverty.
She said the authorities should respect their rights and not treat them as criminals.
Women are too often exploited by brokers or surrogacy agents who care more about the babies than the women who agree to bear them, she said.
Ms Suchada said the bill seeks to ban commercial surrogacy, but surrogate mothers will still be eligible to receive compensation for the cost of healthcare during pregnancy and after birth.
The amount of compensation will be set by the Medical Council of Thailand.
The activist argued the draft law risks pushing surrogacy services "underground", preventing surrogate mothers from gaining access to legal protection.
Surrogate mothers will be the main party that suffers if the bill is passed into law, she said.