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An Australian man has been charged with sexually abusing twin girls he fathered several years ago to a Thai surrogate mother, according to local media reports.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was charged in a New South Wales state court last year with indecent dealings of a sexual nature with the children while they were around four and five years old, Australian Broadcasting Corp and Nine Network television reported late on Monday.
The charges are the latest blow to the credibility to the commercial surrogacy industry in Thailand, which the Southeast Asian country's military junta has vowed to shut down.
Court documents reveal that the father, in his 50s, has also been charged with possessing child pornography materials, ABC and Nine reported.
The man, who denies the allegations, will go to trial in December. He is currently free on bail.
The twins were born around seven years ago to a 23-year-old Thai surrogate mother, Siriwan Nitichad, also known as Aon, who lives in the Petchabun province, 400 kilometres north of Bangkok.
Encouraged by a relative and with her husband's agreement, Aon agreed to act as a surrogate for a couple from Australia who could not conceive on their own, ABC reported. The man was then aged in his 40s and his wife was older, Nine reported.
"They said they were just married and they really wanted to have a baby," Aon told ABC.
"She said her husband wanted to have a baby so much, please help them, please help them," Aon added.
Aon agreed to use her own eggs with the Australian man's sperm. Aon said she was paid a total of 170,000 Thai baht (HK$41,000) for her services.
She said the twins were born with lung and other health problems. They were four or five months old before she handed them over to the Australians.
"They were so lovely, I wanted them to stay with me, I did not want to let them go," Aon told ABC.
"If they asked if they could cancel their payment and we kept the babies, I would definitely have said 'yes'," she added.
Court documents reveal the father became unemployed, allegedly had a violent temper, and the marriage broke down, ABC reported.
The children are now in the care of the ex-wife of the accused man, and Australian child welfare authorities are working on plans for their care, ABC reported.
Ilya Smirnoff, executive director of Childline Thailand Foundation, a child welfare organisation that runs safe houses for children, has been asked by Australian authorities to help with the case.
"We have been [asked] to make an assessment for the possible placement of the children back to Thailand," Smirnoff told ABC.
That would reunite the children with their surrogate and biological mother, but there are complications.
"They don't even speak any word of Thai. They don't know that they are half Thai or have any connection to Thailand," Smirnoff said.


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Australian father charged with sexually abusing surrogate twin daughters

The charges of an Australian man sexually abusing win girls he fathered to a Thai surrogate mother are the latest blow to the credibility of commercial surrogacy industry in Thailand, which the country's military junta has vowed to shut down. Photo: EPA

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An Australian man has been charged with sexually abusing twin girls he fathered several years ago to a Thai surrogate mother, according to local media reports.


Australian father charged with sexually abusing surrogate twin daughters

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}An Australian man has been charged with sexually abusing twin girls he fathered several years ago to a Thai surrogate mother, according to local media reports.

An Australian man has been charged with sexually abusing twin girls he fathered several years ago to a Thai surrogate mother, according to local media reports.