Informal debtors owing THB1.5bn flood govt mediation service in first 2 days
Over 37,000 people owing a combined 1.5 billion baht applied for the government’s informal-debt resolution programme in its first two days, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
Permanent Secretary Suttipong Juljarern revealed that 37,579 people had registered for debt mediation as of Saturday at 4pm.
Of these, 36,338 registered online while 1,241 visited Debt Relief Assistance Centres set up around the country. The registrants logged combined debt of 1.53 billion baht owed to 19,061 informal lenders.
The debt-mediation service was ordered by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and involves officials and police devising strategies to resolve disputes between lenders and borrowers.
The five provinces with the highest registrations were:
- Bangkok: 2,496 registrants owing a total of 131.89 million baht to 1,493 creditors
- Songkhla: 1,610 registrants owing 72.36 million baht to 794 creditors
Nakhon Si Thammarat: 1,489 registrants owing 49.76 million baht to 826 creditors
- Nakhon Ratchasima: 1,441 registrants owing 61.88 million baht to 638 creditors
- Samut Prakan: 965 registrants owing 38.53 million baht to 485 creditors
Suttipong underscored the government's commitment to resolving informal-debt burdens, emphasising their impact on people's livelihoods. He urged citizens to provide accurate information while assuring their debts would remain confidential.
Citizens facing financial distress from informal debt can register for government mediation at https://debt.dopa.go.th, by visiting Debt Relief Assistance Centres located in provincial halls, district offices, and district offices nationwide. They can also call the Dhamrongtham Centre hotline on 1567 for advice.
