Shark tale: Thai PM warns loan sharks not to test government waters as they target debt-relief participant

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin, warned loan sharks not to challenge government power after two loan sharks threatened a debtor who participated in a government debt relief programme.

A Thai woman named Som sought protection from the police and the government after the loan sharks came to her restaurant in the Sankaburi district in the central province of Chainart and destroyed the joint.

Som believed that the loan sharks did this to take out their anger on her after she registered for the government’s debt relief scheme.

Security camera footage shared by Som showed the two loan sharks arriving at the restaurant on a motorbike. They rushed into the restaurant and disconnected the CCTV camera.

Som explained that she received a call from an employee at 7am yesterday, December 6, that thieves broke into her restaurant. She rushed to check and found that almost everything in the store had been destroyed but no assets were stolen.

Som revealed that she registered with the debt relief scheme a day before the incident, December 5. She borrowed 30,000 baht from the loan sharks but the interest was too high for her to pay back the full amount.

Loan sharks

The authorities tried to contact the loan sharks but they did not answer the phone. Som then decided to contact the loan shark herself and tell them about the registration.

“I told them that I had registered for the debt relief scheme with the government and asked them why they were not picking up calls from the authorities. I insisted to them that I would return the money but wanted them to agree on the repayment period and the amount of interest in front of the authorities.”

Som said she made an appointment to meet the loan sharks on the day of the incident. However, they did not show up for the meeting.

After learning about the incident, PM Srettha summoned the Commander of the Provincial Police Region 1, Jirasan Kaewsaengek, to discuss the safety measures for the debtors under the scheme.

The Bangkok-born PM stated that the behaviour of the loan sharks was unacceptable and was seen as a challenge and insult to the government’s power. The relevant authorities must resolve this issue and arrest the loan sharks to set an example for others.

The 61 year old Thai prime minister insisted that the Royal Thai Police would provide protection to all debtors in the system and urged anyone who suffered from threats to report the matter to the police.