Foetus case witness retracts accusation

Police say they'll need to find more evidence

Police attempts to charge a grandmother with performing illegal abortions in the wake of the discovery of 2,002 foetuses at a Bangkok temple have stalled after a key witness retracted his statement.

Police now say they will need some time for further investigation before deciding whether to charge the woman whose daughter is also suspected of being involved in illegal abortions.

Suchart Phumee, an undertaker at Wat Phai Ngern Chotanaram, retracted his account that Sombat Sinothok, 61, had taken part in illegal abortions by delivering foetuses to him.

Phraya Krai police station chief Methee Rakphan said investigators would look for more evidence to determine whether Ms Sombat would be charged with illegal abortion or illegal disposal of foetuses.

Pol Col Methee said Ms Sombat had denied performing illegal abortions. She will be questioned again this week.

It was earlier reported Ms Sombat, who lives in Nakhon Chaisri district of Nakhon Pathom, was raising children who her daughter, Lanchakorn Jantamanas, 33, claimed had survived abortions.

Police said Ms Lanchakorn performed illegal abortions and delivered foetuses to undertakers at the temple.

Pol Col Methee said police learned from their interrogation that not only Ms Lanchakorn but also other people had delivered foetuses to Wat Phai Ngern Chotanaram for disposal.

The Wat Phraya Krai police station chief said he could not confirm whether the children who lived with Ms Sombat and Ms Lanchakorn had "survived illegal abortions".

Visitors kept arriving at Wat Phai Ngern Chotanaram on Chan 43 Road in Bangkok yesterday to place toys, dolls, sweets and milk at its morgue where the 2,002 foetuses were discovered.

The visitors believe they may be granted good luck, especially in the lottery, in return for their offerings to the bodies' spirits.

PM's Office Minister Ong-art Klampaibul also visited the Buddhist temple yesterday. He plans to organise a religious ceremony there on Saturday morning for the remains.

The minister said he did not know how the foetuses should be handled. There are both proponents and opponents for the cremation of the remains and some parties have recommended burial. He will consult with the Office of National Buddhism.

Staff from Chulalongkorn Hospital are examining the remains.

Phrakhru Wijit Sorakhun, the abbot of Wat Phai Ngern Chotanaram, who spoke to the media for the first time yesterday, denied any knowledge of the illicit business of the undertakers.

The abbot said the undertakers had been suspended and the issue had tarnished the reputation of the temple.

The abbot's secretary, Phra Thiwa Thammachayo, said the blame should not lie with the undertakers but the families of the people involved in the unwanted pregnancies.

Health authorities searched 25 suspicious clinics in Sathon, Bang Kholaem, Pathum Thani, Min Buri and Din Daeng areas yesterday and found only one of them operating without a licence.Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said further inquiries would be made to find out whether the clinic performed illegal abortions.