Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP —Thirteen pregnant Philippine women accused of illegally acting as surrogate mothers in Cambodia after being recruited online may face prison terms after they give birth, a senior Interior Ministry official said Saturday. The law was updated in 2016 to ban commercial surrogacy after Cambodia became a popular destination for foreigners seeking women to give birth to their children. The surrogacy business boomed in Cambodia after it was put under tight restrictions in neighboring Thailand, as well as in India and Nepal. She said the seven Philippine women and four Vietnamese women who were caught in the raid but who were not pregnant would be deported soon. The 13 pregnant women have been placed under care at a hospital in Phnom Penh, said Chou Bun Eng.

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Persons: Chou Bun Eng, ” “ Organizations: Cambodia AP, Interior Ministry, Associated Press, Philippine Embassy, Embassy Locations: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kandal province, Philippine, United States, Australia, Thailand, India, Nepal