Thai Boy Ordered Held for a Month for Medical Care

A federal judge said Wednesday that a 2-year-old Thai boy, used in an apparent smuggling scheme, must stay in the United States for more than a month to receive care for a serious illness.

U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian also delayed until July 17 a final hearing on whether to return Phanupong Khaisri to Thailand.

Tevrizian’s decision extends a May 9 court order that directed the Immigration and Naturalization Service to provide medical testing and treatment for the boy’s ear infection and other problems.

The boy, nicknamed Got, has been in a tug-of-war between the INS and Thai community groups, who for two months have been fighting to make sure he is released to responsible family members who can care for him. Authorities say the child was used as a decoy to make members of a slave labor ring appear to be a family on vacation.

The boy’s attorney, Peter Schey, characterized Tevrizian’s decision Wednesday as “progress. . . . We think that the U.S. government is finally beginning to pull its head out of the sand in this case. They are finally realizing the seriousness of his medical conditions. They are finally realizing that indeed life-saving medical treatment may be available in this country and not available in Thailand.”

Schey, president of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, said that delaying the hearing until the boy completes medical treatment is the best option for everyone.

The boy’s paternal grandparents have come to Los Angeles and hired an attorney.

By court order, the boy will continue to be in the care of a social worker until a custody decision is reached.