Allegations have surfaced of a frenzied scramble to offload baby Gammy when he was born, including offering him to a Victorian couple and suggesting he should be abandoned on the steps of a temple.
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The alarming developments in the case of the baby boy born to a surrogate mother in Thailand eight months ago were revealed on ABC's 7.30 on Wednesday night.
It detailed the "scramble" to get rid of the unwanted baby, who has a healthy twin sister, with country Victorian couple Kim and Brendan Cross, who have come forward to say they were offered Gammy when they struggled to conceive.
The Crosses were living in Bangkok and had been clients of Thailand Surrogacy for two years when Ms Cross said she was sent an email from one of its agents.
"We did see it as a genuine offer to have the baby," Ms Cross told the ABC.
"(We were) mortified, could not believe that someone would go through a process like this and give birth to a beautiful baby boy, regardless of if he had Down syndrome or not - he is their flesh and blood."
Gammy's Thai surrogate mother Pattharamon Janbua told Fairfax Media on Wednesday night that less than a month after the baby was born, her surrogacy agent told her that if Ms Pattharamon felt she could not care for him she would try to find another couple to take him.
"I am not sure if the plan was to give or sell the boy," Ms Pattaramon said.
"I was shocked. I told the agent I will take care of my baby."
The Crosses refused to accept baby Gammy - "we can't accept someone else's child" - and a former employee of Thailand Surrogacy said Gammy's biological Australian father David Farnell asked for the baby to be aborted and when that was refused, he suggested an extraordinary alternative.
"He said 'there is a normal one, can I take the normal one?" the former employee told the ABC.
"Can you leave the abnormal one at the temple? Can you leave him in Bangkok? Nobody will know about this, something like that."
The claims were supported in an email from Thailand Surrogacy chief executive Antonio Frattaroli, the ABC reports.
Mr Frattaroli denied any knowledge of Gammy being offered to another couple, but told the ABC Mr Farnell did ask for an abortion.
Mr Farnell denied asking for the child to be left at a temple and has previously denied he asked for the baby to be aborted.
Ms Pattharamon said she had not heard that Mr Farnell has asked if it was possible for the baby to be left outside a temple.
Joy Kamonthip, the main agent handling the Gammy surrogacy, on Wednesday night denied she ever had a conversation with Mr Farnell about offering Gammy to another couple or leaving the baby on the steps of a Thai temple.
"I never had a conversation with the Farnells until they arrived in Bangkok and since I met them they never once said things like that," Ms Kamonthip told Fairfax Media.
"I'm very surprised the ABC is still trying to dig into the story … I met the ABC twice and gave them information I have … it didn't work," she said.
Ms Kamonthip acknowledged she worked with Mr Frattaroli in the agency that handled the Gammy surrogacy.
She said the media does not care about Ms Pattharamon or the Farnells.
"Can you imagine how this story could ruin their lives? But of course you guys are doing your job…I guess," she said.
"It's really a waste of time what you are searching for."
with Lindsay Murdoch
