A debt-ridden Thai woman seeks help after spiky durian assault

A Thai woman in the northern province of Lamphun has asked for media help after she was assaulted with some durian fruit because of a loan shark debt.

The woman, Duangduen, revealed she borrowed about 20,000 baht from a money lender to open a shop with a friend last year. But things spiraled out of control and the interest repayment turned into an eye-watering 700,000 baht.

Duangduen said she was paying back her debt but the Covid-19 situation affected the shop. She started losing money and she missed some repayments. The loan shark sold the arrears to debt collectors who raided the houses of the women and threatened them with violence unless they paid up.

The debt collector suggested the women borrow more to clear the old debt and the debt’s interest. They feared for their lives so accepted the money lender’s unreasonable terms.

The new terms caused more debt and meant they had to pay back 20,000 baht per day. Duangduen’s friend fled, fearing the worst, leaving her to deal with the consequences.

Worried sick, Duangduen contacted an official government department that dealt with debt management. They contacted the lender who agreed to pause the repayment but he later turned up at her home demanding money.

The culmination of the threats happened on Sunday afternoon, July 17, when Duangduen was assaulted with a spiky durian peel. She said she parked her motorbike in front of Chang Rong Temple in the Nai Mueng sub-district, Mueng district, in Lamphun province, to answer her phone.

Suddenly, a tall woman approached and slapped her in the face with the durian peel until her face was covered in blood. The woman then fled from the scene in a pickup.

Duangduen has asked for media help because there has been no development after she filed a complaint at Mueng Lamphun Police Station after the incident.

The victim added she is still being threatened.

SOURCE: Khaosod | One 31