By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE GOVERNMENT-RUN “Debt Settlement Market” kicked off today (Jan.14) for people illicitly indebted to loan sharks in all provinces nationwide.
The “Debt Settlement Market” is a venue set up in each of the country’s 77 provinces for the people to find ways and means to settle their informal debt owed to illegal money lenders, said government spokesman Chai Watcharong.
At the “Debt Settlement Market”, set up in the premises of the provincial headquarters or the provincial office of the Department of Provincial Administration, varied government agencies provide the people with services pertaining to debt repayment plans ranging from the Ministry of Interior’s Damrongtham Centre, the provincial public prosecutor, the provincial justice office, the Department of Community Development, the Ministry of Labour, the Government Savings Bank, the Bank for Agriculture & Agricultural Cooperatives to pico-finance services and job opportunities, according to the government spokesman.
As part of the government’s anti-loan sharks campaign, the “Debt Settlement Market”, which opens on every second weekend of the month, provides consultation free of charge and arranges compromise-based, debt-settling negotiations between the indebted people and their loan sharks with government officials acting as mediators, he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 126,882 people have so far filed claims, mostly online, with the authorities for a combined 8.1 billion baht in debt illicitly owed to 91,473 money lenders.
A total of 8,456 indebted people have so far engaged in debt settlement negotiations with loan sharks. Of that total, the compromise-based negotiations have been so far reported as successful for 2,896 indebted people, he said.
CAPTIONS:
Top: A representative image of debts. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Interior Permanent Secretary Suthiphong Chulcharoen visiting a “Debt Settlement Market” in Nakhon Nayok today, Jan. 14, 2023. Photo: Matichon
Also read: People with illicit debt urged to get help with deadline now extended
Majority keeping mum about their loan shark debts
Digital wallet scheme to be rolled out by May: PM
New Year festival spending tops 54 billion baht
Thailand, China to permanently waive visas for each other’s citizens from March: PM
Thai tourism needs to learn the lessons of history
