2,000 fetuses found in temple

Associated Press

BANGKOK

On the grounds of a Buddhist temple, dozens of white plastic bags lay in carefully arranged rows. Each sack was knotted at the top and contained the remains of a fetus.

Thai authorities found about 2,000 remains in the temple’s mortuary, where they had been hidden for a year — apparently to conceal illegal abortions.

A strong stench had drawn police to the temple in Bangkok’s old city Tuesday, and authorities searching the mortuary — where bodies awaiting cremation normally are kept — initially found more than 300 fetuses. They returned Friday to find more than five times that number, according to police Lt. Col. Kanathud Musiganont.

Health officials, police and charity workers counted the fetuses, placing each one in a white plastic bag bearing the charity’s name in red Thai script and Chinese characters. The group often is involved in the handling of remains, including recovering bodies from accident scenes and organizing burials.

Abortion is illegal in Thailand except under three conditions: if a woman is raped, if the pregnancy affects her health or if the fetus is abnormal.