Thai women rescued from human egg trafficking ring run by Chinese gang in Georgia

By Minh Nga   February 3, 2025 | 10:47 pm PT
A group of Thai women have been rescued after being lured to Georgia, where they were drugged monthly by a Chinese criminal syndicate to harvest their eggs for sale.

The rescue operation was launched following information provided by Pavena Hongsakula, founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, an NGO in Thailand that offers shelter and community education programs.

Hongsakula learned about the situation from a woman who was released and returned to Thailand in September 2024 after paying the gang around 70,000 baht (US$2,060) in ransom. The unnamed victim revealed that several other Thai women were still being held in what she described as a "human egg farm" because they could not afford the ransom demanded by the traffickers, according to The Bangkok Post.

In coordination with Interpol, Thai foreign affairs police successfully repatriated three of the victims to Thailand on Jan. 30.

During a livestream on the foundation's Facebook page on Monday, one of the rescued women recounted how she had been deceived by a Facebook advertisement promising earnings between 400,000 and 600,000 baht ($11,800–17,700). After responding to the ad, she was informed that the job involved surrogacy for infertile couples in Georgia. The recruiters even covered her passport and travel expenses.

Pavena Hongsakula (L), founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, and three of the women rescued from an egg trafficking ring in Georgia, during a meeting with the media in Thailand on Feb. 3, 2024, seen in a still image from a livestream video on the foundation’s Facebook page.

Pavena Hongsakula (L), founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, and three of the women rescued from an egg trafficking ring in Georgia, during a meeting with the media in Thailand on Feb. 3, 2024, seen in a still image from a livestream video on the foundation’s Facebook page.

In August 2023, she and 10 other Thai women were taken to Georgia by an unidentified Thai woman believed to be part of the trafficking network. Upon arrival, they were brought to a compound with four large houses, where at least 100 Thai women were being held.

Contrary to what they had been promised, there were no infertile couples seeking surrogacy. Instead, the area was controlled by a Chinese criminal syndicate that forced the women to take hormone injections to stimulate egg production. The women were then sedated monthly for egg retrieval procedures.

The victims reported that the harvested eggs were smuggled to other countries for use in IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedures.

According to Pavena, women who wished to return home were required to pay the gang between 50,000 and 70,000 baht to cover so-called "travel and living expenses," The Nation reported.

However, most of the women were unable to afford the payment.

Georgia currently lacks specific regulations regarding surrogacy, and companies operating there often advertise their services as legal. However, the Georgian government has announced plans to introduce a ban on surrogacy services.

Thai police have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, with more victims possibly awaiting rescue. So far, there has been no official response from Chinese authorities regarding the case.

Pavena has urged the Thai government to coordinate with Chinese authorities to secure the release of the remaining Thai women.

 
 
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