Search for Gammy's parents continuing

WA child protection officers continue to search for Gammy's biological parents and his sister following revelations the father is a convicted sex offender.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott

PM Tony Abbott has rejected calls for the government to allow commercial surrogacy in Australia. (AAP)

West Australian child protection officers are continuing efforts to make contact with the biological parents of baby Gammy after an animal welfare charity removed a dog from their home.

The pair have custody of his sister, who was brought back to south Bunbury from Thailand soon after 21-year-old surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua gave birth to the twins in December.

It has been revealed the twin's biological father is a convicted child sex offender who was jailed in the late 1990s for abusing three girls. But the wife says he's a good man.

Ms Pattaramon, who claims the couple abandoned Gammy because he has Down syndrome, was shocked by the revelations and now says she wants the girl back.

The WA Department for Child Protection and Family Support launched an investigation into the safety and wellbeing of the sister, but failed to make contact with the parents during visits on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

If the officers aren't able to reach the parents, police could be called upon to help, although a department spokesman said that wasn't an option at this stage.

The biological parents of Gammy were "heartbroken" at leaving him behind, a family friend said in a statement on Tuesday.

But they did so believing he wouldn't live more than a couple of days because of a congenital heart condition.

However, the Thai hospital where seven-month-old Gammy is being treated for pneumonia says the child doesn't have a life-threatening congenital heart condition, as had been widely reported.

"We had a cardiology expert run a check on his heart and we are happy to say he has no heart disease to worry about," a Samitivej Sriracha Hospital spokesman told the Bangkok Post.

Ms Pattaramon is also facing possible legal action from Thai medical authorities because her surrogacy payment of $15,000 contravenes Thailand's human trafficking laws.

Back in WA, the RSPCA removed a dog from the biological parent's Bunbury property on Wednesday after receiving calls from people concerned for its welfare.

An RSPCA spokeswoman told AAP the animal was in good condition but officers decided to remove it for its own safety until they could make contact with the owners.

Gammy's case has put a spotlight on Australians using international surrogacy and related surrogacy laws in Australia.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott all but ruled out federal government moves to allow commercial surrogacy in Australia.

"This is a matter that is governed by the states. I don't want to make it even more complicated than it already is," he told Nine Network.

Thai health authorities have threatened legal action against Ms Pattaramon because she accepted a $15,000 payment from the biological parents, in breach of laws making it illegal to pay for surrogacy.

A woman who agrees to carry a baby must be related to the intended parents.


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