Five bankrupt Thai cops sacked, more likely says top brass

[webfact]

Five bankrupt cops sacked, more likely says top brass
The Nation

BANGKOK -- Five police officers in Udon Thani who were declared bankrupt by the court were dismissed from the civil service. More than 100 police officers from various provinces including, Maha Sarakham, might face a similar fate due to overwhelming debts, said Provincial Police Region 4 commissioner Police Lieutenant General Boonlert Jaipradit.

Boonlert yesterday presided over a meeting of related officers and bank representatives about the issue of indebted police officers.

The region's 13,000 police officers owed a total of Bt9 billion to the Government Saving Bank. More than 2,500 officers who owe Bt2 billion have fallen behind with their repayments, he said.

Thanks to a regional project to help the officers negotiate their debts with the bank, 1,100 such officers who owed Bt900 million settled their affairs, while 1,200 officers who owed Bt1 billion were in the process of negotiating, he said.

However, 600 officers were sued for bankruptcy.

"Yesterday, we saw five Udon Thani police officers dismissed from work because their bankruptcy cases were finalised. About 100 more might be next," he added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Five-bankrupt-cops-sacked-more-likely-says-top-bra-30266122.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-07

[Brit_Doggie]

Why axe them they plainly don't take backhanders.

[jonnyscot]

Why axe them they plainly don't take backhanders.

Or maybe the governments crackdown on corruption is having an impact on their income

[greenchair]

Topsy turvy thailand.

What does going bankrupt have to do with policing.

Why put someone already struggling out of a job.

One way to send the crime rate up. Keep forcing people out of their already low paying jobs, while setting up another committee to give a rich person extra income legally.

[Thian]

Even an old car would cost a couple 100k baht, are coppers not allowed to have a car?

[harada]

Sacking the morally bankrupt might leave them a bit short handed.

[magnacarta]

This is an eye opener,first time in my 13 years of living here that I can remember any sort personal financial information being released.To me it is obvious that they lived on there projected corrupt income.I personally know 1 cop who graduated as a lawyer and joined the police in the officer rank.He told me that during his 5 month traiining course he was encouraged into corruption,which I assume he followed up on as shortly after he was driving a brand new car,plus had the obligatory mia noi.I would hazard a guess in thinking the same applies to all civil servants,I use that term lightly.It is well publicised about teachers and farmers being in debt and the various governments bailing them out.This is the way they want it,it was the same where I come from.It used to be called the mortgage trap,so you had to be a good boy to keep your job to enable you to pay your mortgage.The only difference being you did not live on dirty money,only what you earned by your own effort.Yes I know there are crims in every society,just want to knock that one on the head before i start getting tedious posts from the expats who have gone native.

[ChrisY1]

The more that go the better......in reality, the entire force should be dismantled and re-built with new personel!

[worgeordie]

Why sack them,they are just like the majority of Thais,

up to the eyes in debit,the must have it,have it NOW

mentality.

regards Worgeordie

[dickyknee]

The department if inactive posts must be full.

[alfalfa19]

morally bankrupt?

[NongKhaiKid]

I see the rationale, if they're bankrupt they're susceptible to corruption !

[futsukayoi]

I see the rationale, if they're bankrupt they're susceptible to corruption !

UK banks used to have a similar approach and staff were very restricted in the debts they were allowed to have.

[Puwa]

I bet most of that debt is home mortgage, so a few million per cop, rather than the trappings of a faux hiso lifestyle. And I wonder how the debt is distributed by rank. More at the top?

[aussieinthailand]

So Just how and did the money come from to settle some of the debits of these BIB and how could less twenty thousand BIB owe BILLIONS of baht?

The regions 13,000 BIB owe 9 BILLION BAHT!!! <deleted>??? and that's just one section.

Awesome investigative reporting, leaves more questions than gives answers.

There's something going on in the kitchen but we(the people) don't know what's cooking!!!

Edited August 7, 2015 by aussieinthailand

[fang37]

That is a lot of $$$. Here am I thinking that the Thai police were upstanding citizens, setting an example for the community.

Never saw a cop take a bribe, free drink or meal.

[tfbpa]

Some calculations per person are in order I think.

9,000,000,000 / 13,000 = 692,307.69 THB per person

2,000,000,000 / 2,500 = 800,000 THB per person

900,000,000 / 1,100 = 818,181.82 THB per person

Just for the people who think the 9 Billion THB is a lot...

[halloween]

Topsy turvy thailand.

What does going bankrupt have to do with policing.

Why put someone already struggling out of a job.

One way to send the crime rate up. Keep forcing people out of their already low paying jobs, while setting up another committee to give a rich person extra income legally.

Financial status

Applicants will have their financial status checked.

These checks are carried out because police officers have access to privileged information, which may make them vulnerable to corruption.

Applicants with outstanding County Court judgements, who have been registered bankrupt with outstanding debts, will be rejected. If you have discharged bankruptcy debts then you will need to provide a Certificate of Satisfaction with your application. http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/police-officer/am-i-eligible/detailed-eligibility-req/index.html

[SOTIRIOS]

......hmm...wonder who.....or what...gave them the idea that 'they would never have to pay back any of the money'.....

...sounds like a government I heard of once........

[magnacarta]

The department if inactive posts must be full.

If it is they will just build another one,just like the malls.

[lujanit]

This is a huge change to the normal state of affairs. Sacked over being placed to an inactive post. I bet this sends the shivers down a lot of corrupt cops. I can only hope that successful corruption charges are brought and when convicted assets are stripped and a long goal sentence is issued.

Still I dream too much.

[Searat7]

How could lending institutions extend so much credit to people with low incomes ? They certainly bear some responsibility for the high level of household debt in Thailand. Corrupt police and civil servants should not be able to claim their tea money as income on loan applications.

[Misterwhisper]

Sacked? I would have half expected that they'd be transferred to inactive posts instead - so they'd have more time at their hands figuring out how to get the money to repay their debts. But apparently only officers who are suspected of corruption, human trafficking, even murder, have that privilege.

[abitmiffed]

Topsy turvy thailand.

What does going bankrupt have to do with policing.

Why put someone already struggling out of a job.

One way to send the crime rate up. Keep forcing people out of their already low paying jobs, while setting up another committee to give a rich person extra income legally.

Are you serious?

Keep them in work under so much pressure to extort you and me even more?

They made their rotten bed let them lie in it.

The banks are just as stupid, they knew as a policeman that they make huge under the table money to provide these loans, now the world comes crashing down on them too.

[Oziex1]

Clearly they have been dismissed as they have not been doing the job to the level of proficiency required.

And we all know what their job is.

[Srikcir]

The court granted these officers bankruptcy status that clears all their debts.

So why would they be fired?

[Briggsy]

Many posters not grasping what is going on here.

Public sector employees are able to access large loans at low rates of interest, sometimes 0% for first 5 years, from government banks.

Not content with that, many borrowers with state sector jobs confidently believe that they will never have to pay it back as they are protected and connected and also, on occasion, may have bunged some of the capital back to the loan officer.

This is widespread and is considered a perk of the job to compensate for the low salary.

What may be happening here is a cultural shift away from these loans which are never repaid for public sector workers. Alternatively, these police may have lost a powerful patron as the military is now in charge and they are no longer protected.

[magnacarta]

The court granted these officers bankruptcy status that clears all their debts.

So why would they be fired?

Simple really they cannot contribute to feed the food chain which moves in an upward direction.I think it is called ROI return on investment.

[carstenp]

Why axe them they plainly don't take backhanders.

They were axed because even though they did take backhanders, they still managed to run up hundreds of thousands of baht in debt.

It's staggering these huge loans are handed out to people making peanuts (not just cops but many other low-wage employees also).

.

and you think it's just cops, wait for the financial implosion caused by personal debt, I predicted this 3 years ago

You are a very Clever man

[mancub]

Lets hope they have to surrender their firearms also.