SEXUAL-REASSIGNMENT

With over a thousand operations every year, Thailand is the "sexual
reassignment" surgery capital of Asia. Dr. Preecha Tiewtranon, who performs over 300 such operations annually, is lobbying the Thai tourism authority to promote sex-change vacations. "It's good for the economy," he says. "Patients buy new wardrobes and accessories to go with their new anatomies.'' American, European and Japanese patients flock toThailand, where a male-to-female sex-change costs just $6,000, or almost three-quarters less than back home, and where more than 150 surgeons ply their trade. Dr. Preecha's patients are having orgasms within eight weeks of surgery.