Srettha promises to tackle civil servants' debt problemsPower dinner: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, is seen with former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra, centre, and Somchai Wongsawat, who is also Thaksin's brother-in-law, at Ban Green Valley in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai province. (Pool photo)Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin vowed to address the debts of almost three million civil servants and stressed the necessity of lowering interest rates to help reduce their debt burden. Speaking after a meeting with the heads of 11 state agencies to follow up on their attempts to tackle the debts of civil servants and state employees, Mr Srettha said on Friday the efforts over the past two months were showing positive results. He said he also asked the Cooperative Promotion Department (CPD) to join the government's debt solution programme as soon as possible as many civil servants and state employees owed large sums to the cooperatives of their organisations. The prime minister said he would hold talks with the management of the Student Loan Fund (SLF) to discuss the possibility of reducing interest rates for defaulters who are charged 18% interest a year.

Source: Bangkok Post March 16, 2024 15:09 UTC