Is There A Debtors Prison In Thailand?

[devaram]

In Thailand do your debts die with you?

Or does your family have to pay them off?

What about with foreigners?

For example suppose my old mother who has been staying for a long time in Thailand and who does not have insurance of any kind were to wrack up a huge bill at a hospital and then either die or not die could I be held responsible to pay off that debt.

Could I be prevented from leaving the country untill it was paid?

[astral]

Collecting debts is rather haphazard from my experience.

People will ask the local police to exert pressure.

I have never heard of a debtor's court.

Where no insurance exists private hospitals usually want to see some money up front.

Not sure about the public sector.

[TonySoprano]

there is a debtors grave yard, but no prison.

sounds like there is a story here. do tell.

Edited April 3, 2009 by TonySoprano

[wasabi]

I was just discussing this in my Thai Language class today. We were reading an article where a man had killed his wife child and self due to having accumulated a huge debt in Thailand. My teacher explained his motivation was that his wife and child would have been responsible for the debt if he only killed himself. Though obviously any rational person would rather have a debt than lose their life.

Edited April 3, 2009 by wasabi

[devaram]

I was just discussing this in my Thai Language class today. We were reading an article where a man had killed his wife child and self due to having accumulated a huge debt in Thailand. My teacher explained his motivation was that his wife and child would have been responsible for the debt if he only killed himself. Though obviously any rational person would rather have a debt than lose their life.

Hopefully that was before "democracy" came to Thailand!