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Villagers Demand Action on Funeral Association Collapse, Billions Lost

Villagers Demand Action on Funeral Association Collapse, Billions Lost

Matichon•General•17d ago

Reader Briefing

Residents from nine provinces have filed a complaint at the Investigation Bureau, seeking legal action against registrars and association committees who allegedly allowed funeral benefit associations to collapse, causing billions of baht in losses and leaving families without promised death benefits.

  • •Villagers from nine provinces reported alleged fraud and collapse of funeral benefit associations at the Investigation Bureau.
  • •They are demanding accountability from local registrars and association committees for financial losses totaling billions of baht.
  • •Complainants state that families have not received death benefits for deceased relatives for years, leading to significant financial and emotional distress.
  • •The villagers expressed frustration with local authorities' lack of action and decided to seek help from the central investigation unit.
  • •The issue is suspected to be linked to patronage networks involving local and national politicians.

Overview

  • •A group of villagers from 9 provinces visited the Investigation Bureau at the Central Investigation Bureau's complaint center on May 8 at 9:30 AM.
  • •The villagers are seeking legal action against local registrars and funeral benefit association committees due to the alleged collapse of these associations.
  • •The collapse of the associations has resulted in many villagers not receiving death benefits for deceased family members, leading to financial losses estimated in the tens of billions of baht.
  • •One representative stated their grandmother died 2 years prior, and no benefits have been received.
  • •Another complainant from Udon Thani has been dealing with the issue for over 4 years.
  • •The villagers have previously sought assistance from provincial halls and local police stations without progress.
  • •An alleged loss of over 1.4 billion baht is reported for Wapee Pathum district in Mahasarakham, with over 480 affected individuals.
  • •According to an MP, at least 3 associations in Rayong province collapsed since 2022, impacting tens of thousands of people with damages exceeding one billion baht.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Villager from Nakhon Ratchasima
"My grandmother died two years ago from old age. I never received a single baht, despite depositing hundreds of thousands into the association."
ย่าของตนเองเสียชีวิตมา 2 ปีแล้ว ด้วยโรคชรา ไม่เคยได้รับผลประโยชน์แม้แต่บาทเดียว ทั้งที่ฝากเงินเข้าสมาคมไปหลักแสนบาท
Villager from Udon Thani
"I have been fighting this problem for over 4 years. Many government officials know it's wrong, but no one investigates."
ตนต้องสู้กับปัญหานี้มากกว่า 4 ปี เจ้าหน้าที่รัฐหลายหน่วยงานรู้ว่าเป็นเรื่องที่ไม่ถูกต้อง แต่ก็ไม่มีใครตรวจสอบ
Ronnarong Kaewpetch
"Today is about reclaiming justice for the deceased and their families because, despite many associations collapsing, directors and registrars, local administrators, have faced no accountability."
วันนี้ถือเป็นการทวงคืนความยุติธรรมให้กับผู้เสียชีวิตและครอบครัว เพราะที่ผ่านมาแม้หลายสมาคมจะล่ม แต่กรรมการและนายทะเบียนซึ่งเป็นผู้บริหารท้องถิ่นกลับไม่ต้องรับผิดใด ๆ

Key Entities

Organization

Investigation Bureau(กองปราบ)ℹ️
The agency where villagers filed a complaint regarding the collapse of funeral benefit associations.
Foundation to Campaign for Justice in Society(มูลนิธิรณรงค์ทวงคืนความยุติธรรมในสังคม)
An organization whose president, Ronnarong Kaewpetch, supported villagers in their complaint.
People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)
The political party of MP Krit Silpachai.
Network to Reclaim Money for the Dead from 8 Provinces(เครือข่ายทวงคืนเงินคนตาย 8 จังหวัด)
A group of affected villagers from several provinces who came to file complaints.
Funeral Benefit Association(s)(สมาคมฌาปนกิจสงเคราะห์)
Organizations that have allegedly collapsed, causing financial losses to members.
Social Welfare Committee(คณะกรรมาธิการสวัสดิการสังคม)
A committee of the House of Representatives to which the villagers plan to submit their complaint.
Legal Affairs Committee(คณะกรรมาธิการด้านกฎหมาย)
A committee of the House of Representatives to which the villagers plan to submit their complaint.
House of Representatives(สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)ℹ️
The legislative body to which the Social Welfare Committee and Legal Affairs Committee belong, and to which villagers plan to submit their complaint.

Person

Ronnarong Kaewpetch(รณณรงค์ แก้วเพ็ชร์)
President of the Foundation to Campaign for Justice in Society, who accompanied the villagers to file a complaint.
Krit Silpachai(กฤช ศิลปชัย)
Member of Parliament for Rayong, People's Party, who spoke about the issue of collapsing funeral associations.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Jaroonkiat Panngao(พล.ต.ต.จรูญเกียรติ ปานแก้ว)
Deputy Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, who the villagers are seeking assistance from.

Place

Buri Ram(บุรีรัมย์)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated.
Phitsanulok(พิษณุโลก)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated.
Phetchabun(เพชรบูรณ์)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated.
Maha Sarakham(มหาสารคาม)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated, particularly Wapee Pathum district.
Nakhon Ratchasima(นครราชสีมา)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated, with a representative speaking about their grandmother's case.
Rayong(ระยอง)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated, with its MP discussing the issue.
Udon Thani(อุดรธานี)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated, with a representative detailing their long struggle.
Sisaket(ศรีสะเกษ)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated.
Amnat Charoen(อำนาจเจริญ)ℹ️
One of the provinces from which villagers affected by funeral association collapse originated.
Wapee Pathum District(อำเภอวาปีปทุม)
A district in Maha Sarakham province where over 480 individuals are reported to be affected by the funeral association collapse.

Timeline

2022(ปี 2022)
The year when at least 3 funeral associations allegedly collapsed in Rayong province.