On returning to the clinic, the baby was again laid out as if dead, but when his grandmother went to check on him she found he was breathing.

Im Vannarith then took his son to the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, where the infant remains in a critical condition, said hospital director Beat Richner.

'He only weighs 0.9 kilograms,' he said. 'It is possible to save a baby this small, but those first few hours were crucial. The child arrived at our hospital very late.'

The Soriya Clinic denied wrongdoing and told the Post that it had tried its best to help Samnang after he stopped breathing.

Im Vannarith said he and his lawyer are contemplating legal action.