By Thai Newsroom Reporters
NEARLY 100,000 PEOPLE have been officially listed so far to owe debt to loan sharks nationwide, according to the Ministry of Interior’s undersecretary Sutthipong Chulcharoen.
Since the beginning of this month, a total of 98,667 people have so far informed the authorities either in person or online as being currently indebted with illicit, informal loans, Sutthipong said over the weekend.
That refers to a total of 5.85 billion baht in illicit debt combinedly owed to loan sharks throughout the country.
Most of the nearly 100,000 debtors were reported as 6,210 Bangkokians with a total of 491 million baht in illicit debt combinedly owed to 5,093 loan sharks, followed by 4,234 debtors of Nakhon Sri Thammarat with a total 256 million baht debt combinedly owed to 3,380 illicit money lenders.
Others included 3,907 debtors of Songkhla with a total 242 million baht debt combinedly owed to 2,733 loan sharks, 3,836 debtors of Nakhon Ratchasima with a total of 281 million baht debt combinedly owed to 2,392 illicit money lenders and 2,571 debtors of Khon Kaen with a total 186 million baht debt combinedly owed to 2,019 illicit money lenders.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has encouraged the indebted people to never fear dark influence associated with loan sharks and to contact and truthfully inform the authorities including police of their illicit debt.
The authorities including district officials of the Ministry of Interior in all provinces and police are looking to mediate negotiations and compromise between the debtor and loan shark, according to the prime minister who called the illicit, informal debt the “Modern World Slavery.”
The settlement of illicit, informal debt is meant for the loan shark to immediately lower the interest which may have been charged at disproportionately high rates and for the debtor to repay it all on installment basis.
The debtor who may already have paid amounts of loan money in excess of their debt’s principal are advised to immediately stop paying any more interest, according to the prime minister.
The debtor who may have been mentally intimidated or physically harmed by loan sharks-connected gangsters or others who may have run illegal lending businesses online are strongly encouraged to cooperate with the authorities to completely settle their debt whilst those who may have committed crimes are to be brought to justice, the prime minister said.
CAPTIONS:
Representative images of illicit debts owed to loan sharks. Top photo: Thai Rath, Front Page photo: Matichon
Insert: Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Ministry Sutthipong Chulcharoen. Photo: Matichon Weekly
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