Thailand is the realm of sexual tourism, this is a well known fact. Sex for any orientation. The country is famous for its beauty contest of drag queens. And in such a sexually libertine country, some things seem to have escaped control.

Thailand's Health Ministry has temporarily banned the performing of castrations for non-medical reasons, signaling that this operation, asked by many transsexuals, requires stricter monitoring.

"A letter will be sent to medical facilities around the country telling them to halt so-called commercial castrations until further notice. Violators could face closure of their practices. As of today, doctors can perform the surgery if there is a medical reason to do so - not for any other reason," said ministry spokesman Suphan Srithamma.

The measure is the result of the pressure made by Natee Teerarojjanapongs, head of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, who signaled that clinics perform many castrations on underage boys.

Natee said that many parents complain that their minor sons look for castration partially because of Internet advertisements stating that the cheap operations would bring feminine traits, like softer skin.

Suphan signaled that many minor patients were unaware of the risks posed by castration, from hormonal imbalances to arrested physical growth.

"The ministry and the Medical Council of Thailand will draft new guidelines that doctors must follow before carrying out the procedure. Existing rules require boys under age 18 to have parental consent before undergoing castration but it is suspected that many doctors overlook the rule," said Suphan.

"It's a totally wrong perception that castration will make boys more feminine. These youngsters should wait until they are mature enough to thoroughly consider the pros and cons of such an operation," Natee told The Bangkok Post.

Others disagree with this measure.
"The surgery is a better option than taking excessive female hormones, which can cause liver damage. Many many young male transsexuals take hormones," said Dr. Thep Vechavisit, owner of the Pratunam Polyclinic in Bangkok, which specializes in sex change surgery.

A castration surgery at his clinic costs $125, and so far, he has performed 205, mainly for Thai men, since 2004.