Authorities are preparing a draft law to make surrogacy legal with a range of protections for the women and babies involved. News of the move emerged yesterday after a meeting between Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and newly appointed United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative to Cambodia Lene Kroll Christiansen.
 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry said Mr. Sokhonn told Ms. Christiansen about the surrogacy development. “Cambodian government relevant institutes are preparing to draft a new law to make surrogacy legal in order to control and prevent Cambodian children who are born via surrogacy from becoming victims,” Mr. Sounry said.
 

Sok Somoni, a cabinet chief in the Women’s Affairs Ministry, confirmed that discussions about surrogacy were taking place, but declined to say more. Surrogacy has been a controversial issue in the region and has been banned by India, Nepal and Thailand.

 

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/35333/surrogacy-to-be-legal/

 

 

-- © Copyright Khmer Times 10/02

Surrogacy per se   not banned in Thailand -- only commercial surrogacy. It is legal  provided (1) the biological parents are  married couples and at lerast one of them is a Thai citizen; (2)  the surrogate is a blood relative, has at least one child of her own and her husband's consent; and (3) and no money involved.

 

Remains to be seen how the Cambodian law will compare to this.