IN BRIEF
Loans :Student defaulters warned as Bt2.67 bn still to be repaid
A total of Bt2.67 billion owed by students to the Income Contingency Loan (ICL) has not been paid, ICL manager Thittima Wichairat said yesterday.
She called on the 1.8 million students involved to make an effort to repay the loan before July 5. If they could not, they should contact ICL offices or Krung Thai Bank, which granted the loans, to discuss debt leniency plans. A total of 2.7 million students have obtained around Bt230 billion in loans from ICL since its establishment in 1996. Overdue payments will be subject to a 12-per-cent fine for those that are a year late, and 18 per cent for two years late. Suwimol Jiraphatsakul, a senior KTB official, urged ICL debtors to keep in constant contact with the bank to benefit from its leniency options rather than face lawsuits. She warned people against obtaining low-interest loans by cheating about their qualifications, saying they would face demands for immediate repayment and heavy interest if caught.
Heavy rains :Downpour paralyses Bangkok A heavy downpour flooded many main roads in Bangkok yesterday afternoon, paralysing traffic and causing accidents that injured two. Following the downpour, floodwater swelled to between 15 to 30 centimetres on Rajprarop, Sukhumvit, Ploenchit, Phetchaburi and Ratchadaphisek roads. Meanwhile, the weather bureau warned residents in all parts of the South of possible flash floods and mudslides. It said a monsoon over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand was gaining strength. Local disaster-prevention-and-mitigation offices in the South were on standby.
Farm labour :Israel seeks 3,000 Thai workers Israel is seeking about 3,000 Thai labourers to work on its farms, permanent secretary for Labour Juthathawat Intharasuksri said yesterday. All the workers would be paid at the same levels as the Israelis and would not be made to work in areas near the Gaza Strip or West Bank, where there is frequent fighting. Juthathawat said Israeli Ambassador Yael Rubinstein had made an official request for Thai workers when they met recently. Thai labourers were wanted in Israel because they were better in farming than those from other countries, and well-liked by Israeli employers, Juthathawat said. The Thai workers would be sent to Israel through a licensed channel overseen by the International Organisation for Migration. The workers could thus avoid fees and job-seeking expenses that would total around nearly Bt100,000 per head. An MoU signed recently by Juthathawat and Rubinstein would be submitted to the Cabinet for approval on June 26.
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