By Nanci Bompey, Agence-France Presse
BANGKOK, Thailand — Sitting cross-legged on his hospital bed at Yanhee Hospital in Bangkok, South African Neil Van Der Merwe unwraps a layer of bandages to reveal a six-inch tube inserted into the inner part of his forearm. The contraption is being used to grow a penis, the final step in Van Der Merwe's transformation from woman to man. "I wanted to do this a long time ago," says the 35-year-old, who sports a thin goatee and has lived as a man for five years. Van Der Merwe is one of a growing number of foreigners heading to Thailand for sex changes and other surgery, enticed by the kingdom's reputation for low-cost but high-quality medical treatment. While he insists he is not worried, doctors warn that as more people travel abroad for medical care, they must be aware of possible dangers. MORE ON THIS STORY
