BANGKOK.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- With its large, unclose transgender population, Bangkok is a haven for foreigners in search of acceptance and sex- reassignment surgery at a cheap price.

The latest reportedly to inquire about a sex-change operation was John Mark Karr, the American teacher who says he killed JonBenet Ramsey.

Karr, 41 had a consultation at the downtown Pratunam Polyclinic, according to common of the doctors there, Dr Thep Vechavisit. Thep declined to provide additional details however confirmed Sunday that Karr was "one of my patients."

The clinic, which co-sponsors a popular transsexual beauty compete for specializes in sex-change operations and advertises a menu of plastic surgery courses in the English-language Bangkok column

Sex-change surgery is $1625 -- a bargain compared with U prices, where male-to-female reassignment surgery typically trips in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Thep said chiefly Thais and other Asians, especially Vietnamese and Japanese, came to him for sex-reassignment surgery Occasionally, he also prepares foreigners from America or Europe

He said he has been performing sex-change surgeries for 10 of the 20 years he has worked as a plastic surgeon

"I'm pleasing popular," he admitted Sunday.

...