SRI RACHA, Thailand (AP) — A Thai surrogate mother left with a Down syndrome baby who was abandoned by his Australian biological parents said Tuesday she would be happy to have the baby's healthy twin returned, especially because of concern over reports the father is a convicted sex offender. 
 
 Pattaramon Chanbua, 21, the surrogate mother to a baby boy born with Down syndrome who was abandoned by his Australian biological parents, waits for an elevator at a hospital in Sri Racha, Thailand, Tuesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pattaramon Chanbua, 21, the surrogate mother to a baby boy born with Down syndrome who was abandoned by his Australian biological parents, listens to questions from the media at a hospital in Sri Racha,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pattaramon Chanbua, 21, right, the surrogate mother to a baby boy born with Down syndrome who was abandoned by his Australian biological parents, sits next to an unidentified hospital representative at... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pattaramon Chanbua, a 21-year-old food vendor who has two young children of her own, has been bringing up baby boy Gammy as her own since he was born in December. 
 
 She said the father rejected Gammy, while taking his healthy twin sister home to Western Australia state. 
 
 Australia's Nine Network television reported Tuesday that the father was a convicted pedophile. A police officer told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to the media, that the father was a convicted sex offender. 
 
 The case has caused intense public interest in Thailand and Australia, and Pattaramon made her views known at a news conference in her hometown. While she had previously said she was happy to have the twin girl stay with the Australian parents, the reports about the father's past have raised doubts in her mind. 
 
 "Personally, when I heard the news I was shocked but I can't say anything much right now," she said, adding that she would "leave it to the law" to see if she can get the girl back. The process appeared to have been carried out legally under contract in Thailand and Western Australia, though other states in Australia do not allow it. 
 
 Surrogacy involves a woman carrying the implanted embryo, or fertilized egg, of another woman in her womb in order to give birth, often because health issues make it impossible for the biological mother to do so. Legal doctrine on the rights of all parties involved is inconsistent and still evolving, especially when different nationalities are involved. 
 
 Countries such as India, Ukraine and Thailand have fairly lenient regulations and are popular for couples in developed countries looking for lower-cost surrogate mothers. 
 
 Pattaramon expressed sentimental attachment to the child, saying: "I want her back because she is my baby. She was in my womb." 
 
 However, she said she was inclined to leave the resolution of the issue up to "fate" and what was best for the baby girl. 
 
 "If she is happy, then I, as a mother, am also happy. I don't want to bring her back to suffer or anything. A mother would never want her child in trouble," she said. "But if she really cannot go on living there, then I'm very happy to have her back in my arms." 
 
 She said she will never hand over to the Australian couple seven-month-old Gammy, who was born with a congenital heart condition as well as Down Syndrome: "Never. Not in any way." 
 
 The case had already caused a stir because of the idea that the Australian couple had abdicated their responsibility by not taking home both children. They have not come out publicly to speak about the case, though the Australian broadcaster, ABC, reported that Gammy's biological father has denied intentionally abandoning his son in Thailand, saying he did not know that his daughter had a twin. 
 
 Pattaramon has said she did not receive the full payment she was promised for serving as a surrogate mother. 
 
 An online campaign by the Australian charity organization Hands Across the Water to help Gammy has raised more than $215,000 since July 22. 
 
 --------------------------- 
 
 Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia contributed to this report. ||||| Surrogate mother says twin boy was abandoned by Australian parents but alleged father says he did not know of boy 
 
 Conflicting reports have emerged over a baby with Down’s syndrome allegedly abandoned by its Australian parents in Thailand after being born to a surrogate mother. 
 
 The boy, named Gammy, is currently in hospital being treated for a life-threatening lung infection and will need operations for a heart condition. His surrogate mother, Pattharamon Chanbua, has told journalists he was abandoned when his Australian parents took his sister home but left him. She said they had asked her to abort him. 
 
 The Australian couple have not been named but have reportedly denied leaving Gammy in Thailand. Channel Nine and ABC both say they have spoken with them. More than $200,000 has been raised for Gammy through a viral online campaign but the people behind it have refused to reveal their identity because of their “position of work”. 
 
 Gammy’s alleged Australian father told the ABC the clinic’s doctor only told them about a girl and he had been told the surrogacy agency no longer existed. The couple told Channel 9 they had a daughter of similar age to Gammy, born through surrogacy, but she did not have a twin. They described their experience with the surrogacy agency as “traumatising”. 
 
 
 
 Chanbua told Fairfax the couple stayed in Thailand for a month when the twins were born, as the girl was in hospital along with Gammy. She said the father would not look at Gammy and did not carry him during the month. 
 
 A GoFundMe page has raised more than $200,000 for Gammy since the story of his alleged abandonment was first reported last week but the administrators of the page do not want to be identified. The fundraisers have asked the charity Hands Across the Water to handle the money and Hands Across the Water founder Peter Baines said it would not be writing a cheque to Gammy’s family. 
 
 “We will meet the immediate needs of his treatment in hospital now and then develop a long-term strategy over the next couple of weeks,” Baines told Guardian Australia. 
 
 Baines will meet Gammy’s family when he travels to Thailand, on a pre-arranged trip, this month and they will discuss Gammy’s future medical and schooling needs. 
 
 He said it was likely a trust account would be set up to fund Gammy’s expenses over the years. 
 
 “Is it appropriate to hand them [the Thai parents] a cheque for $10,000? I suspect not,” Baines said. 
 
 He said he knew who was behind the fundraising page but would not reveal their identity. 
 
 “Because of their position of work they wish to remain anonymous,” he said. “When they started off they raised $6,000 in Thailand and then asked us to take up the project.” 
 
 Baines said the $200,000 was more than was ever expected and the curators of the page posted a message saying they had reached their “goal” with the six-figure amount on Monday. 
 
 “This has been a heartwarming project for our team and we look forward to seeing what the final donations amount to … this is people power at its best!” the message posted on the GoFundMe page said. 
 
 “We do not view this as a short-term project, it is our vision by working together we can work to make Gammy’s life meaningful and his challenges dealt with with respect, love and care.” 
 
 Baines said he was not aware of reports from the Australian couple that they did not know about Gammy. 
 
 “From our perspective it’s almost a side issue. It’s not something we would seek out,” he said. 
 
 Baines said the focus of the charity was on distributing the funds responsibly and appropriately. He said a sub-committee would be established, involving the fundraisers and representatives from Down’s syndrome groups, to advise on how the money should be spent. 
 
 Chanbua said she was going to report the surrogacy agency to police on Monday but had so far not made contact with police, saying she was seeking further legal advice. ||||| GoFundMe has verified that the funds raised will go directly to the intended recipient. 
 
 What does verified mean?
– Since the story of baby Gammy went viral several days ago, the Australian government has announced that it is looking into whether it can intervene in a case described by the Australian immigration minister as "very, very murky," particularly because it took place in another country, reports the Telegraph. The baby, now 7 months old, was allegedly abandoned by his Australian parents, who paid a 21-year-old Thai woman to be a surrogate mother following an IVF procedure that ultimately resulted in twins. But the Australian couple says they were never told about the second baby, though surrogate Pattaramon Chanbua, a street vendor with two young children of her own, thinks they're lying about that. She says she was asked to abort Gammy but refused due to religious beliefs, and she's now raising him—and she wants to raise his twin sister as well after new allegations arose against the couple who took her and left Gammy behind. Sources tell Australia's 9 News that the father is a pedophile who was jailed in the 1990s on child sex convictions; his wife says she's aware of those convictions but that her husband is a changed man. The AP also spoke to a police officer who says the man is a convicted sex offender. Child protective services is reportedly looking into the father's suitability now, and Chanbua says she'd take the baby girl she carried back. As for whether she'd turn Gammy over to the couple at this point, she says, "Never. Not in any way." He's currently in the hospital with a serious lung infection and will need surgery for a heart problem, reports the Guardian. A GoFundMe campaign started by a charity has raised more than $230,000 for Gammy's care, and some have argued that Gammy should be able to access Australia's health care. Click for more on the baby's story.