Urgent help sought for 100 Thai women forced into human egg farm in Georgia

The Pavena Foundation has urged the Thai government to seek China’s help in cracking down on a Chinese gang that has lured and forced around 100 Thai women into an illegal human egg farm in Georgia.

A women’s foundation on Monday urged the Thai government to seek immediate assistance from China in cracking down on a Chinese gang that has lured and forced around 100 Thai women into an illegal human egg farm in Georgia.

The Pavena Foundation for Children and Women told a press conference that approximately 100 Thai women were being held against their will and forced to produce eggs for the gang to sell.

Pavena Hongsakul, president of the foundation, stated that the victims had initially been promised legitimate surrogate mother jobs but were instead detained and coerced into providing eggs for sale.

Those who refused to give up their eggs were required to pay a ransom of up to 70,000 baht to secure their release, she added.

Pavena said she learned of the women’s plight from a victim who managed to contact her relatives and raise the ransom money to return to Thailand.

The victim, identified only as Na (not her real name), alerted the foundation on 27 September 2024, seeking help for the other Thai women still trapped in Georgia.

Deception and entrapment

Na recounted that she had been searching for work abroad when she came across a Facebook advertisement offering jobs for women with potential earnings of 400,000 to 600,000 baht.

The administrator of the page explained that the job involved legal surrogacy in Georgia and that a broker would cover all expenses, including passport fees and travel costs. She was told the process would take just one month.

After obtaining her passport, Na travelled with 10 other women and a female group leader on a flight departing from U-Tapao International Airport. None of the 12 women, including the leader, knew each other beforehand.

Upon arrival, the group leader handed each woman 500 US dollars in cash to show to immigration officers as proof they were tourists.

The group transited through Dubai in the United Arab Emirates before flying to Armenia, where they stayed in a hotel for three nights. They were taken to various tourist spots to take photographs as part of the deception.

On the fourth day, they boarded a train to Georgia, a journey that took around 10 hours. Upon arrival, they spent one night in a hotel before their passports were confiscated by the leader.



Detained and exploited

The next morning, the women were taken to a compound containing four houses.

Na was placed in the first house, where around 60 Thai women were already being held. Many appeared to be in poor health and expressed their desire to return home.

The following day, she was moved to the second house, where she estimated that around 10 other Thai women were being detained. She believed that around 100 Thai women were trapped across the four houses.

Na recalled seeing Chinese men frequently entering and leaving the compound.

She later learned from other detainees that, while they had been promised surrogacy jobs, no prospective parents had come forward to sign contracts. Instead, they were forced to undergo monthly egg retrieval procedures, with the gang selling their eggs.

Forced egg retrieval involves hormonal stimulation and an invasive medical procedure, which carries significant health risks. Illegal operations often lack proper medical care and safety protocols, endangering the women’s well-being.

Paying for their freedom

Pavena quoted Na as saying that those who wanted to return home had to pay the gang between 50,000 and 70,000 baht to cover their "travel and living expenses."

Most of the women had no choice but to remain, as they could not afford to pay the gang. Instead, they were forced to take turns undergoing egg retrieval procedures at a clinic every month.

Na managed to return to Thailand on 9 September last year after her family transferred the ransom money to the gang leader’s bank account. Before she left the compound, three other women pleaded for her help, as they refused to allow the gang to sell their eggs but had no money to pay for their release.

Rescue efforts underway

Pavena said she sought assistance from Pol Maj Gen Suraphan Thaiprasert, commander of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police. Suraphan, in turn, contacted Interpol, which led to the rescue of the three women. They safely returned to Thailand on 30 January.

The three rescued women are now under the foundation’s care. However, Pavena urged the Thai government to coordinate with Chinese authorities to secure the release of the approximately 100 remaining Thai women still trapped in Georgia.

(2025/02/03-00:00)