Student loan defaulter shave 2 mths

The Office of the Judiciary's Alternative Dispute Resolution Office will help in the process.

Defaulters can show up at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Office in Bangkok, Chiang Mai District Court, Si Sa Ket Provincial Court, Buri Ram Provincial Court, Roi Et Provincial Court, Khon Kaen District Court, Surat Thani District Court, Nakhon Si Thammarat District Court and Songkhla District Court.

"If they fail to show up within this period, we will take their cases to court," the office's manager Thada Martin said yesterday.

He said defaulters' combined debts were about Bt4 billion and if legal prosecution began, it would cost his office about Bt400 million to get the money back.

"I would like to explain to defaulters that loans given to them are part of the revolving fund. With their repayment, new students can apply for student loans from this fund," he said.

According to the office, all 90,000 defaulters have not submitted any repayment instalment during the past five years. The office sent letters to them in mid-December asking them to show up for discussions on debt-relief plans.

On the e-Studentloan scheme, Thada said the new system would be used from the 2008 academic year. Before that, his office will hold training for staff from more than 4,200 educational institutes.

"Through the e-Studentloan scheme, applicants will receive the money much faster because relevant organisations can access the online database," he said.

Thada expected around 800,000 students to apply for loans in the upcoming academic year, including 350,000 new applicants.

Supinda Na Mahachai

The Nation