WITH all police stations nationwide being alerted to guard banks where “fragile” groups of people are withdrawing 10,000 baht handout from last Wednesday (Sep 25) after finding out that loan sharks were waiting there to grab the money, a Maha Sarakham police team has tightened security at the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and other bank branches in this central Northeastern region, Naewna newspaper said this afternoon (Sep. 27).
Pol. Col. Kraithong Chaisingh, head of Maha Sarakham city police station, said he sent a team of policemen to maintain law and order at this BAAC branch which was crowded with farmers and other bank branches and locations where vulnerable groups of people and the disabled are streaming in to check whether the 10,000 baht giveaway had been deposited before queuing up to withdraw money either via ATM if they have a card or wait to do so from a teller.
Policemen have been instructed to watch out for opportunistic informal lenders who show up to take the money and clear debts in front of ATMs.
Those being threatened were urged to quickly contact them.
Ms. Pusaya Tangthong, this BAAC branch manager, said people are flocking in everyday to update their passbooks to find out if the 10,000 baht giveaway has come through. The bank is distributing 200 queue tickets a day because it only has a few counters.
Not all customers come here to check whether the cash giveaway has arrived with several others applying to make a new passbook or ATM card to withdraw the money. This is either because they have lost them or their account has been inactive for a year with this requiring opening a new account and all this takes quite a long time.
Over the past three days this bank branch has been closing at 5 p.m. instead of the usual 3.30 p.m. with the workers only able to go home at 7.30 p.m.
CAPTION:
A big crowd of farmers waiting to withdraw cash at Maha Sarakham BAAC branch. Photos: Naewna
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