Ubon: Thai teacher in 2 million baht debt caught with 30,000 meth pills

 

Picture: Daily News

 

A Thai kindergarten teacher has been arrested by police in Ubon Ratchathani transporting 30,000 Ya Ba pills.

 

Phanawan, 49, was in her car that was taken into evidence after a sting was conducted. 

 

She said that she was in 2 million baht of debt and was paid 45,000 baht to be the mule. 

 

Picture: Daily News

 

The arrest comes after it was revealed that 400,000 teachers in Thailand owe 1.1 trillion baht that represents a large slice of public debt at an average of 3 million baht per person. 

 

Picture: Daily News

 

 

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seems they lend money willy nilly here, no background checks, its *oh, look at my brand new 4x4,* then a few monbths down the line, TISH, how am i going to pay for it,, why is it that Teachers are in debt for these huge sums.? (did i read they have to pay back for their training) ?

47 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

seems they lend money willy nilly here, no background checks, its *oh, look at my brand new 4x4,* then a few monbths down the line, TISH, how am i going to pay for it,, why is it that Teachers are in debt for these huge sums.? (did i read they have to pay back for their training) ?

They are constantly offered cheap loans by their Retirement Fund Managers and other Financial Institutions because they are in safe Government jobs for life.   Most other Civil Servants get the same offers and with the 'Look at me' mentality for 'Big Face' they all want to be bragging to colleagues and family/friends to show them 'What I Got' !

The bigger issue is the number of teachers in debt who may also look at drug dealing to ease their financial woes.  They have an impressionable and captive audience.

Yip, same debt situation for healthcare (nurses etc).  Easy large loans with a co-worker "guarantor" or multiple co-signers.  It's an interesting web of promoted financial slavery.

2 million baht is £50,000. If you got yourself into that kind of a pickle in the UK in such a low paying job, you'd probably be sensible to get yourself declared bankrupt and get rid of the debt. Much better than trying to run yaba pills. Is bankruptcy a thing in Thailand?

12 minutes ago, SteveK said:

2 million baht is £50,000. If you got yourself into that kind of a pickle in the UK in such a low paying job, you'd probably be sensible to get yourself declared bankrupt and get rid of the debt. Much better than trying to run yaba pills. Is bankruptcy a thing in Thailand?

Forbidden from owning, land, vehicles or bank accounts for 5 years by the court that declared you.

11 minutes ago, SteveK said:

2 million baht is £50,000. If you got yourself into that kind of a pickle in the UK in such a low paying job, you'd probably be sensible to get yourself declared bankrupt and get rid of the debt. Much better than trying to run yaba pills. Is bankruptcy a thing in Thailand?

Yes there are bankruptcy laws in Thailand, but they can only be instigated by the creditor. Not a lot of point in doing that if you only stand to get 10 Satang on the Baht!

5 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Yes there are bankruptcy laws in Thailand, but they can only be instigated by the creditor. Not a lot of point in doing that if you only stand to get 10 Satang on the Baht!

So what that means is that nobody ever really goes bankrupt here - debts can never be written off and someone earning a paltry wage will be effectively hounded for life if they get themselves into insurmountable debts.

If you owe the bank money and you have a decent job they will take you to court and obtain a judgement which allows them to attach your salary each month. The banks are really responsible for extending too much credit , especially considering there is a credit bureau here.  When people run out of bank loans they often use loan sharks

6 hours ago, webfact said:

She said that she was in 2 million baht of debt and was paid 45,000 baht to be the mule.

Obviously living well beyond her salary... but Thai teachers have to parade around like a "god-like-figure" 

I have no sympathy for them... 

Great example for the children she teaches... 

A friend's mother is a retired teacher.  Her pension is 30k per month, but 18,500 is taken out to pay the interest on her depts.

 

Of course, that is just what she owes the banks.  The loan sharks are another matter!

6 hours ago, SteveK said:

So what that means is that nobody ever really goes bankrupt here - debts can never be written off and someone earning a paltry wage will be effectively hounded for life if they get themselves into insurmountable debts.

Or the debt is sold and the last thing you see is two guys on a motorbike with reflective visors

 After that you don't see anything else

 Ever.

18 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Or the debt is sold and the last thing you see is two guys on a motorbike with reflective visors

 After that you don't see anything else

 Ever.

The bike is very often a Honda CB150 ,the two  guys ,with matching jackets will come every day in the middle of the afternoon ,so you have a chance of earning some money during the day.

This happens to a friends neighbour ,he use to see the debt collectors come ,every day.  

5 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Or the debt is sold and the last thing you see is two guys on a motorbike with reflective visors

 After that you don't see anything else

 Ever.

Why would debt collectors and loan sharks kill their debtor?  They want the debt back plus interest.  

 

Only way is to make the debtor work to pay off the debt. 

In instance posted here, the teacher was likely offered the job as yaba mule to help pay down debt.

 

Now this teacher/drug mule probably has the cost of the drugs lost added to her total debt.

13 hours ago, CanuckThai said:

Yip, same debt situation for healthcare (nurses etc).  Easy large loans with a co-worker "guarantor" or multiple co-signers.  It's an interesting web of promoted financial slavery.

 

Last sentence, very interesting.

 

Our school "helped" the teachers (who only get paid 1-2k more than the cleaners) get credit cards.

Online gambling is huge in Thailand now.

 

Just about all the women I know are doing it (behind their husband's back).

5 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

Why would debt collectors and loan sharks kill their debtor?

As an example to others, maybe.

56 minutes ago, nausea said:

As an example to others, maybe.

That's just a bad movie plot.

 

Loan sharks are in business to make money not kill people and hurt their cash-flow.  They need to squeeze their debtors for regular payments, which usually just goes towards the interest while the principal never gets paid down and usually keeps growing.  Debtors never get out from under this.  Owning a "book" of these debtors is where the profit comes from, like a herd of cash cows.  You don't kill your herd, maybe just smack one every once in a while. 

7 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

 

Last sentence, very interesting.

 

Our school "helped" the teachers (who only get paid 1-2k more than the cleaners) get credit cards.

Yeah, I could have elaborated.  My comment was based on a situation I encountered with my wife.  She was asked to co-sign/guarantee a colleagues car loan (through the ministry of health).  She asked if I was ok with her signing the papers.  I simply replied: "are you comfortable knowing the person will pay the loan?".  It got her thinking about the situation...she delayed the signing.  It caused a <deleted> storm within her network of colleagues...as all have co-signed for each other, and all have had to have mutliple co-signers, but people are limited to (if I recall) a maximum of co-signing for 3-4 loans.  I was shocked...the entire hospital loan web, has everyone locked in.