Thai Loan sharks threaten families
Loan sharks threaten families, say debtors
BANGKOK: — A number of debtors who owe money to illegal lenders yesterday filed complaints with a police division claiming they were intimidated when they could not repay daily high interest rates.
Chicken rice vendor Urai Tembang said the debt collectors working for a loan shark to whom she owed Bt50,000 had threatened to abduct her teenage daughter and make her work as a prostitute to repay her debt, and to beat up and mutilate her husband.
She filed complaints with the Suppression of Crimes against Consumer Protection, along with other Bangkok-based low-income earners indebted to loan sharks. Urai paid Bt1,000 a day to a loan shark in interest, together with daily additional amounts in principal repayment.
A fruit vendor living near Soi Ramkhamhaeng 39 said she had received a threat to burn down her house after she could not pay high daily interest on a Bt23,000 loan. She also accused Hua Mark police of illegally refusing to accept her complaint when she applied to lodge a complaint after being threatened.
Jitkusol Kummaphan, from Udon Thani, said two debt collectors had intimidated her young children and scolded them regularly when she failed to pay money when they showed up.
