Police launch crackdown on loan sharks in Isaan

[webfact]

Police launch crackdown on loan sharks in Isaan

 

 

SI SA KET, 5th October 2018 (NNT)-Police have launched a crackdown on loan sharks in Si Sa Ket, Surin and Chaiyaphum provinces after reports of unfair treatment. 

Acting Immigration Bureau Chief Police Major General Surachet Hakpal, in his capacity as Deputy Director of Thailand’s Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression (Tactics), announced today that police raids were carried out in 27 locations in the three provinces where suspected loan sharks were operating. 

They apprehended Supol Polsomboon in Si Sa Set on fraud charges and for providing loans with an interest rate higher than the legal limit. All of his assets, worth more than 100 million baht, have been confiscated after the arrest. Police also pressed charges against a female loan shark, Saranrus Suwannapradit, in the same province and for similar offenses. 

A total of 1,100 land title deeds and assets worth 117 million baht were seized during the raids in the three provinces. To prevent unfair deals between loan sharks and their borrowers in the future, police Major General Surachet said loan sharks will be urged to participate in a PICO market where the loans they provide can be scrutinized and offered to loan seekers at a reasonable interest rate. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is set to travel to Si Sa Ket for the third time to return land title deeds to the rightful owners who were forced to give them up to loan sharks after failing to pay their debts on time. 

In response to rumors claiming some government officials have been associated with loan sharks, Pol Maj Gen Kritsakorn Plithanyawond, Acting Deputy Immigration Police Bureau, said an investigation would be conducted to find out the truth in the matter, before it could be concluded if the accusation is true.

 

-- nnt 2018-10-05

[Enoon]

 

It's that man again.

 

He just needs to slip on a suit and yessiree Bob, he's well on his way.

 

The "Joker" in the pack?

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Enoon

[bluesofa]

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

In response to rumors claiming some government officials have been associated with loan sharks, Pol Maj Gen Kritsakorn Plithanyawond, Acting Deputy Immigration Police Bureau, said an investigation would be conducted to find out the truth in the matter, before it could be concluded if the accusation is true.

You don't need to be a fortune teller to know that, "after a committee set up to investigate the accusations, no evidence was found to substantiate them."

 

[colinneil]

An investigation into the matter will be conducted to find out the truth in the matter.????

What !! is he going to walk along the beach for 10 minutes, then say not happening here?

Oops, silly me no beaches in Issan.

[Darcula]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is set to travel to Si Sa Ket for the third time to return land title deeds to the rightful owners who were forced to give them up to loan sharks after failing to pay their debts on time. 

 

He truly is the savior of the downtrodden, and a guardian angel of the poor.

 

[Esso49]

Yes yes yes I see all the sarcasm leveled at Big Joke on this topic, and I am no worse or better but if, and this is a big if,  if only one or two of these unscrupulous loan sharks are removed from undertaking these activities at least it is one/two less slime balls to worry about.

[Thaiwrath]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is set to travel to Si Sa Ket for the third time to return land title deeds to the rightful owners

 

And here's me thinking he was going to return borrowed watches ! 

[Lungstib]

Am I being cynical or have the good people of Isaarn been exclusively targeted for this operation because this is where the opposition would normally win all their votes? Surely the rest of the country 'suffers' loansharks, dont they all need similar help?

[chrisandsu]

Now if I lived in one of those provinces and I sold my land to a farang you know what I’d be doing right now ? I’d be telling the police that the farang acquired it through a loan with extortionate rates ......

[Nyezhov]

Maybe all the cynical observers of life here with their snide comments about corruption etc should step back and see how these various campaigns work in an overall historical sense. How long did it take the envelopes and corruption to end in the West?

[tebee]

2 hours ago, chrisandsu said:

Now if I lived in one of those provinces and I sold my land to a farang you know what I’d be doing right now ? I’d be telling the police that the farang acquired it through a loan with extortionate rates ......

There is the minor problem with that plan that you can't sell land to a farang in the first place....

[Chassa]

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

Maybe all the cynical observers of life here with their snide comments about corruption etc should step back and see how these various campaigns work in an overall historical sense. How long did it take the envelopes and corruption to end in the West?

The 'brown envelopes' are still there in the west but bigger and only for hisos. 

[Nyezhov]

44 minutes ago, Chassa said:

The 'brown envelopes' are still there in the west but bigger and only for hisos. 

Can you say...Menendez?

 

I'm waiting for someone from Chicago to whinge about corruption in Thailand....

[nev]

I have had dealings with the loan shark heavies who come two up on a bike and force payments, my ex in Kalasin stupidly went guarantee on two loans on a lady she knew, well the payment back was 200 per day on one loan and 300 per day on the other, If the lady did not pay(most time she knew they was on the way) suddenly disappeared and then they would come looking for my ex wife to pay back for her, My ex would disappear too leaving me at home to be confronted by them, Yes they tried heavy tactics on me too. Scum.

 

[chrisandsu]

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Maybe all the cynical observers of life here with their snide comments about corruption etc should step back and see how these various campaigns work in an overall historical sense. How long did it take the envelopes and corruption to end in the West?

It hasn’t and never will ! Most local governments in the west are corrupt to the core . 

[chrisandsu]

1 hour ago, tebee said:

There is the minor problem with that plan that you can't sell land to a farang in the first place....

Where did the wife get the money to buy the land ? 

[Nyezhov]

9 minutes ago, chrisandsu said:

It hasn’t and never will ! Most local governments in the west are corrupt to the core . 

I think the world "most" hurts your point. There is a difference between Chicago and Sioux Falls.

 I doubt the local mayorsof Isny Am Allgau or Neuhausen Am Rheinfall are on the take, and lets leave Italy and Corsica out of the equation....

[tebee]

26 minutes ago, chrisandsu said:

Where did the wife get the money to buy the land ? 

Well she didn't get it from you did she? - you would, of course, have had to make a declaration to that effect when she bought it....

[CLW]

The next time I have a problem I directly contact Big Joke. Haha.
He seems to be kind of superman of Thailand [emoji16]

[chrisandsu]

12 minutes ago, tebee said:

Well she didn't get it from you did she? - you would, of course, have had to make a declaration to that effect when she bought it....

Declaration means nothing if you are married . Yes it signs away your rights to own the land but in a divorce proceedings are still split . 

[Redline]

If Thai people would pay back their loans, this would not be a big problem.  It is a cultural problem that can't be solved without a change in the culture, and higher penalties.

[Esso49]

14 minutes ago, Redline said:

If Thai people would pay back their loans, this would not be a big problem.  It is a cultural problem that can't be solved without a change in the culture, and higher penalties.

That's rather a simplistic approach without understanding the underlying reasons that allow these loans sharks to illegally operate.   They tend to loan money to the poorest of poor because no bank will lend them money.  Now you and I know that it is an unwise thing to do but when people are in desperate straights, lacking decent education, possibly superstitious  and hence lacking a basic understanding of what loan interest entails, then it is these people that are preyed upon by the loan sharks.  When the UK outlawed unregistered lenders many decades ago, for similar reasons that people were losing everything, it did not require a change in British culture to enact it, only a change in law followed by an expansion of peoples rights regarding loans.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Esso49

[Redline]

3 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

That's rather a simplistic approach without understanding the underlying reasons that allow these loans sharks to illegally operate.   They tend to loan money to the poorest of poor because no bank will lend them money.  Now you and I know that it is an unwise thing to do but when people are in desperate straights, lacking decent education, possibly superstitious  and hence lacking a basic understanding of what loan interest entails, then it is these people that are preyed upon by the loan sharks.  When the UK outlawed unregistered lenders many decades ago, for similar reasons that people were losing everything, it did not require a change in British culture to enact it, only a change in law followed by an expansion of peoples rights regarding loans.

Yes, I am well aware of all of the complexities, but because of the default rate, less and less people can get loans in Thailand.  I have been told this by bank employees of numerous banks.  My wife and I had a hard time getting a home loan, and we have multiple condos (already paid for), money in the bank, my wife is a TV producer with perfect credit, she also has her own business, which brings in modest cash...

Only with the influence of a very wealthy individual, were we able to get the loan.

Because Thai people don't pay back there loans, it is much more difficult for them to get loans through the banks.

We know that this won't help the very poor, but there is little enforcement of the laws here, and little enthusiasm to lift up the poor