A few days ago PPT posted on Gen Prawit Wongsuwan’s backslapping regarding title deeds allegedly returned to debtors following the intervention of ISOC, Army police and administrative officials who claim to have magically convinced “loan sharks” to return land title deeds to the owners who had hocked them.
What amused us about the report was the data, which we questioned.
Interestingly, while not questioning the data, the Bangkok Post has questioned the program in an editorial. It notes that it was “deputy Democrat Party leader Nipit Intarasombat [who] floated an allegation that the return of land title deeds to debtors … was fake…”. He claimed that after the ceremonies fronted by Gen Prawit, “returning” the title deeds, “the documents were given back to the creditors…”.
Gen Prawit has denied this, but the allegations come from a man at the top of a “coalition partner,” which makes the whole idea of the junta’s ongoing “government” all the more fragile.
More significantly, the Bangkok Post recounts that:
… at another ceremony to hand back title deeds on Thursday, a group of 30 debtors of loan sharks from several provinces in the Northeast showed up uninvited to file a petition to Gen Prawit…. They said they were given back title deeds at previous ceremonies but when they went back home the police seized back the documents from them. They were then forced to repay debts or sign new borrowing contracts to get back the title deeds.
Will these villager be denied? Will they be harassed or arrested?
Political Prisoners in Thailand 