Loan-shark victims likely to lose their land
The Bangkok Bank is preparing to confiscate land plots that a loan shark – now also the alleged mastermind of a village massacre -– allegedly took from his clients through illegitimate means.
Eight alleged victims of loan shark Surifath ‘Bang Fath’ Bannopwongsakul attended a meeting with relevant authorities in Krabi province on Tuesday to ask for help.
“We are trying to help, but it remains unclear how much we can do,” Sanan Thongnuakhao, the justice chief in Krabi, said.
He said some loan-shark victims had lost court battles in similar cases before.
The Bangkok Bank’s Krabi branch is now going ahead with the forfeiture process because Surifath has failed to repay loans that he has secured with the loan plots as collateral.
Those land plots are registered in the name of Surifath, and a court has already ruled in favour of the bank because he has defaulted.
The problem for Surifath’s victims is that although they transferred ownership of their land to him when they borrowed money, they have since repaid him. They were unaware that Surifath has used their land plots as collateral with the bank. This means that, even though they have fully repaid their debts to Surifath, they will not be able to get their land back.
Surifath has become a notorious figure nationwide after being identified as the alleged mastermind behind the massacre of a village head and his family members last month.
The village head had an ugly conflict with Surifath because he, too, was an alleged victim of the loan shark.
