Additional 2,000 Dead Foetuses Found At Temple In Bangkok

[webfact]

Nearly 1,700 dead foetuses found at Thai temple: police

BANGKOK, November 19, 2010 (AFP) - Thai police found the remains of almost 1,700 illegally aborted foetuses hidden at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok Friday as the full extent of the grisly discovery emerged.

More than 2,000 bodies, wrapped in plastic bags, have now been uncovered in the temple's three mortuary rooms and police said they have now finished searching the building.

After authorities found 348 foetuses in an initial search earlier in the week, two temple undertakers confessed to stashing them, leading to the new inspection, police said.

"A total of 1,654 foetuses were found today in two rooms," Colonel Sombat Milintajinda, area commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, told AFP.

He said some had been stored there for more than a year.

The discoveries have shocked Thailand and highlighted the scale of illegal abortions in a country where the procedure is only allowed when delivery would harm the mother or the pregnancy is the result of rape.

"This reflects the severity of the problem," said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, although he rejected suggestions that the abortion law be amended, saying it was "flexible enough".

The public health ministry, which ordered a nationwide crackdown on abortion clinics as a result of the finds, estimates that of one million pregnancies in Thailand each year, 80,000 are illegally terminated.

So far a 33-year-old woman has been arrested and confessed to carrying out illegal abortions, said Sombat. She faces between five and 10 years in prison.

He said authorities are also looking to charge the two undertakers, who told police they were hired separately by a network of abortion clinics and had no idea how many foetuses they had stored in the mortuary.

They would normally have disposed of the corpses by placing them with the remains of people being cremated, but the furnaces had broken and the number of stored bodies had built up while repair work was carried out.

Buddhist temples in Thailand not only perform cremation ceremonies, but also store bodies in specially refrigerated areas.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-11-19

Related topic:

Undertaker Arrested For Hiding 200 Foetuses From Abortion Clinics In Bangkok Temple

[webfact]

More than 1,000 Fetuses Found at Same Temple

An additional 1,000 fetuses have been discovered after 340 were found on Wednesday.

More than 1,000 fetuses have been found at Phai Ngern Temple in Bangkok, after the smell of decay drew complaints despite 340 fetuses having been removed last week.

The temple's undertaker admitted to receiving the fetuses from several clinics with which he and the clinic owners have been in alliance for six years.

At the temple, Wat Phrayakrai police said they were stunned by the discovery of more than 1,000 fetuses hidden in plastic bags in three warehouses.

They said they will discuss the matter with their superiors to find out how to manage the situation.

Abortion is illegal in Thailand, but it is permitted if the mother is a victim of rape, or if the pregnancy harms the life of the mother.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-19

[webfact]

Number of dead fetuses found at Pai Ngern Temple is over 2,000 now. Tip of Thailand's illegal abortion iceberg. /via@tulsathit:

[Tokay]

Jesus. That is horrible.

[rixalex]

Furnaces aren't exactly high-tech to my knowledge. Struggling to understand what could have been wrong with them that couldn't have been repaired in a day or two to explain why they were out of action for the length of time that caused such a massive back-log.

Beggars belief.

[TheBrit]

So what about that clinic that is supposedly run beside condoms and cabbages?

That place is always busy.

[reason1]

"that of one million pregnancies in Thailand each year, 80,000 are illegally terminated"

Beats me how anyone knows the real numbers

[asiawatcher]

Certainly a huge case for safe sex education I would say. But as already blogged, furnaces can't be down for too long (bad for cremation business), so if the backlog now is 1,000 (let's say in a week) begs the question how many of these take place in this country annually? Scary thought but with the bar trade as it is, 5,000 hot bods in Pattaya at any one time - once a month mistake and multiply that by Patpong, Cowboy, Nana, and all the other savoury areas let alone Phuket, Chiang Mai etc., and the numbers may not be so staggering and that is only within the sex trade! What about the hi-so's and giks of the rich???

[stevehaigh]

Jesus. That is horrible.

its horrible that girls can't get abortions done safely and legally

[Samuian]

smells fishy... there is more to this story!

There are other "purposes" for ah; well it's grisly anyhow!

[VictorOne]

Jesus. That is horrible.

You're correct but are you surprised ??

[reason1]

I am sure Guys wont change (I am/was one of the problems) so the Gals have to be changed for any effect. Condoms and The Morning After Pill issued like counter sweeties is the only solution I can think of

[VictorOne]

"that of one million pregnancies in Thailand each year, 80,000 are illegally terminated"

Beats me how anyone knows the real numbers

They don't (know tthe real numbers)

[Steele404]

From what i hear from radios and discussions almost 100% Thais disagree with abortions.....

yeah.... wait till you get pregnant while still in school or that uni course you are taking ..... then I'll come back to you and ask you again...

legal abortions is only for the rich...

[IvanDobsky]

An additional 1,000 fetuses have been discovered after 340 were found on Wednesday.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-19

"This reflects the severity of the problem," said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, although he rejected suggestions that the abortion law be amended, saying it was "flexible enough".

The statistics would suggest otherwise.

[canuckamuck]

Furnaces aren't exactly high-tech to my knowledge. Struggling to understand what could have been wrong with them that couldn't have been repaired in a day or two to explain why they were out of action for the length of time that caused such a massive back-log.

Beggars belief.

It is not a matter of the furnace not working, rather it is an issue with sneaking the corpses in with legal cremations. The live born people aren't dying quick enough to cover the dead baby trade.

[grahamhc]

"that of one million pregnancies in Thailand each year, 80,000 are illegally terminated"

Beats me how anyone knows the real numbers

A study showed that 78% of statistics are made up to fit the storyline.

PS: I made up that number. It was really 47%

Realistly, a sad situation. But the numbers quoted are weird. Was this a national underground clearing house with a furnace, if so many in such a short time that the furnace was not operational. Or was it a no money to buy fuel situation.

RIP

[animatic]

I am sure Guys wont change (I am/was one of the problems) so the Gals have to be changed for any effect. Condoms and The Morning After Pill issued like counter sweeties is the only solution I can think of

@ very logical solutions.

But some men won't like that their ladies can do this without their say so,k

so the morning after pill will have a tougher sell.

Never mind than so many could care less if, the now damaged goods, they have been tapping, now have a problem, and the walk away. Some want control of their women 'as long as they care to' and morning after pills removes that control in some macho opinions.

[ndw]

"that of one million pregnancies in Thailand each year, 80,000 are illegally terminated"

Beats me how anyone knows the real numbers

A study showed that 78% of statistics are made up to fit the storyline.

PS: I made up that number. It was really 47%

Realistly, a sad situation. But the numbers quoted are weird. Was this a national underground clearing house with a furnace, if so many in such a short time that the furnace was not operational. Or was it a no money to buy fuel situation.

RIP

Could be that the person in charge of buying fuel for the crematorium instead pocketed the money and stored the bodies thinking no one would notice.

I am sure there will be more come to light as this goes on.

[angiud]

Jesus. That is horrible.

its horrible that girls can't get abortions done safely and legally

Prohibition in abort, like in most of other cases, is not the right solution.

[ndw]

Abortion (because I want one) is illegal in Thailand. But abortion (because I am threatening to harm myself if I have an unwanted baby) is legal in Thailand. It is legal for a woman to have an abortion in Thailand if the continuation of the pregnancy would harm the mother.

[angrypassenger]

I think that place is legal but they are closed on sat and sunday --- those weekend days you can find 2-3 men stand waiting for the customers who come to soi for abortion at the soi 12 sukhumvit with namecards of illegal clinic -they stop all the taxis goingin with young women as if they are the local caretaker !

Even during weekdays you can find them eating breakfast just near the restaurant named CREPE- one is hort and and big -both are Thais-- Dont you think the local police and staff

at the Meechai's abortion place are not aware of these men ?we locals are scared who live on soi 12 -- we dont feel safe atall under Lumpini Police station!!

Even the locals of the soi do not care to ask them to go away --

So what about that clinic that is supposedly run beside condoms and cabbages?

That place is always busy.

[angrypassenger]

can anyone tell where to send the photos of these men who works as pimps of those illegal clinic?we can take photos of these men secretly!i the morning they are right near the famours restaurant CREPE near the end of of the soi of soi 12 --we prefer to send to Newspaper instead of Police station- bcos they all work handin hand and we dont want to be killed as whistleblower !!!

I think that place is legal but they are closed on sat and sunday --- those weekend days you can find 2-3 men stand waiting for the customers who come to soi for abortion at the soi 12 sukhumvit with namecards of illegal clinic -they stop all the taxis goingin with young women as if they are the local caretaker !

Even during weekdays you can find them eating breakfast just near the restaurant named CREPE- one is hort and and big -both are Thais-- Dont you think the local police and staff

at the Meechai's abortion place are not aware of these men ?we locals are scared who live on soi 12 -- we dont feel safe atall under Lumpini Police station!!

Even the locals of the soi do not care to ask them to go away --

So what about that clinic that is supposedly run beside condoms and cabbages?

That place is always busy.

[Morris]

And how many of them where half-bloods?

[Brewsta]

And how many of them where half-bloods?

Sad but smart to contemplate that macabre question......awful though it is.

Edited November 19, 2010 by Brewsta

[tim armstrong]

I just watched the news coverage. By now I should be used to the graphic closeups in Thailand, and the casual even smiling faces of workers as they went about the task of bagging up bodies. But is there no respect for the dead ?? Allowing random onlookers at the scene was too much for me and I stopped watching. My Thai family, fatalistic as ever, thought it was bad, but were not that bothered. 2,000 foetuses maybe !! Apart from all the issues about abortion, the news coverage of this type of event leaves me speechless. There are some things about Thailand I will not get used to.

[Scott]

The number of fetuses is large but the accumulation of them has occurred over a long period of time. In the OP it states "He said some had been stored there for more than a year."

This isn't meant to diminish the significance of the discovery in any way. I wonder how many have been cremated already? I wonder how they 'sneaked' them in with other corpses and how many they could cremate with one body.

[lensta]

Jesus. That is horrible.

its horrible that girls can't get abortions done safely and legally

totally agree

[hardy1943]

From what i hear from radios and discussions almost 100% Thais disagree with abortions.....

yeah.... wait till you get pregnant while still in school or that uni course you are taking ..... then I'll come back to you and ask you again...

legal abortions is only for the rich...

Sad but true.

[harrisonkrs1]

whoa. that's a serious amount of foetuses