Baby Gammy, one-year-old at centre of Thai surrogacy scandal, granted Australian citizenship 
 
 Updated 
 
 Baby Gammy, who was at the centre of a surrogacy scandal in Thailand, has been granted Australian citizenship. 
 
 Born with Down syndrome via a surrogate mother in Thailand, Gammy was left behind while his healthy twin sister Pipah was taken home by their Australian parents, Wendy and David Farnell. 
 
 The surrogate mother of the twins, 21-year-old Thai woman Pattaramon Chanbua, said she applied for Australian citizenship for Gammy because she wanted to safeguard his future, not because she wanted to travel to Australia. 
 
 Gammy, who turned one on December 23 last year, has been granted citizenship and is now also eligible for an Australian passport, although that is a separate process that has not begun. 
 
 It is unclear whether he could also be eligible for Australian welfare benefits. 
 
 The Pattaramon family recently moved into a new home in Chonburi, 90 kilometres south of Bangkok, which was purchased from donated funds. 
 
 More than $240,000 was raised after Baby Gammy's plight became public. 
 
 The Farnells were heavily criticised last year for leaving one infant behind, prompting robust discussion about laws and regulations surrounding international surrogacy arrangements. 
 
 The Department for Child Protection began proceedings in the Family Court after it was revealed David Farnell, 56, had 22 child sex convictions, including indecent dealing with young girls. 
 
 The Farnell family retained custody of Pipah, subject to strict court conditions. 
 
 Topics: surrogacy, international-law, law-crime-and-justice, thailand, australia 
 
 First posted 

 Despite being rejected by his Australian biological father, Thai-born baby Gammy can become an Australian citizen. 
 
 Australian rights: Baby Gammy, with Thai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbu, has a biological Australian father. Photo: AP 
 
 Bangkok: Gammy, the baby at the centre of Thailand's surrogacy scandal, has been granted Australian citizenship. 
 
 The 12-month-old baby with Down syndrome will now be eligible for Australian services such as healthcare. He will also be eligible to apply for an Australian passport. 
 
 Gammy, who was born with a heart condition, was abandoned by his Australian biological parents, David and Wendy Farnell, last year, prompting Thai authorities to shut down the country's then booming surrogacy industry. 
 
 Help at hand: Gammy has received donations of more than $240,000 to help pay for hospital treatment. 
 
 The baby's surrogate mother, Pattaramon Chanbua, said she applied for Australian citizenship because she wanted to safeguard Gammy's future, not because she wanted to travel to Australia. 
 
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 But there are not expected to be any restrictions on Ms Pattaramon travelling to Australia with Gammy. 
 
 Mr and Mrs Farnell have been allowed by West Australian authorities to keep Gammy's twin sister, Pipah, with strict conditions, despite Mr Farnell's previous convictions for child sex offences. 
 
 Gammy was automatically eligible to become an Australian citizen because Mr Farnell's sperm was used, making him the biological parent. 
 
 Ms Pattaramon bitterly criticised the Farnells after they left Thailand with Pipah, saying she was still owed money by the Bunbury couple. 
 
 Gammy was critically unwell at the time. 
 
 When Fairfax Media revealed Gammy's plight, people around the world rushed to donate more than $240,000. 
 
 The money is managed by Australian charity Hands Across the Water, which recently provided a new house for Ms Pattaramon's family in Chonburi, 90 kilometres south of Bangkok. 
 
 Gammy turned one on December 23. 
 
 He has been regularly visiting a Thai hospital, with his bills paid by donated money through Hands Across the Water. 
 
 Legislation has been drafted by Thailand's military junta that will ban surrogacy except involving family members, with penalties of up to 10 years' jail for violators of the law. 

 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Baby Gammy's case made headlines around the world and provoked debate over surrogacy 
 
 Baby Gammy, who was born with Down's syndrome to a surrogate mother in Thailand, has been granted Australian citizenship, local media report. 
 
 Gammy was left behind while his twin sister Pipah went home with Australian parents David and Wendy Farnell last year. 
 
 The case sparked intense debate over international surrogacy agreements. 
 
 Surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua said she sought Australian citizenship to safeguard Gammy's future. 
 
 Gammy, who turned one in December, is eligible for Australian citizenship because David Farnell is his biological father. 
 
 He will now have access to healthcare in Australia and is eligible for an Australian passport. 
 
 Baby aborted 
 
 The Farnells faced heavy criticism for leaving one baby behind and taking the other. Besides Down's syndrome Gammy has a congenital heart condition. 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Ms Chanbua said later she had not allowed Gammy to be taken by the Australian parents 
 
 Ms Chanbua, the 21-years-old surrogate mother, claimed that the Farnells wanted Gammy aborted when they found out he had Down's syndrome, but that was against her Buddhist beliefs. 
 
 In a TV interview, the Farnells said after Gammy was born, they wanted to bring both infants home. 
 
 Ms Chanbua told the Associated Press that she had then not allowed Gammy to go with them. 
 
 It was later revealed that David Farnell had child sex convictions, prompting Australia's Department of Child Protection to launch an investigation in August. 
 
 The Farnells retain custody of Pipah but with strict court conditions, according to Australian media reports. 
 
 Gammy's case drew donations from around the world which are being managed by an Australian charity and have been used to pay for his hospital bills and a new home for Ms Chanbua's family.
– The baby who last year made international headlines in a surrogacy controversy is now a 1-year-old Australian citizen, though he still lives in Thailand. Gammy, who has Down syndrome and a heart condition, can now access Australian health care, the BBC reports. He has been a regular patient at a Thai hospital, the Sydney Morning Herald reports; donations have covered the costs. Gammy was eligible for Australian citizenship because his biological father, David Farnell, is Australian. He can now also get an Australian passport. Farnell and his wife, Wendy, sparked the controversy when they took Gammy's twin sister home from a surrogate mother in Thailand, but Gammy stayed. The surrogate, Pattaramon Chanbua, applied for Australian citizenship for the boy; she says it was an effort to protect him for the future rather than a means for her to go to Australia. Even so, it now appears she'll be able to do so with Gammy without facing restrictions. Global donors have raised some $240,000 for the baby; that allowed Chanbua's family to move to a new home in Thailand, Australia's ABC reports.