Agriculture Ministry Halts Asset Seizure of Credit Union, Prepares to Settle 200 Million Baht Debt

The Ministry of Agriculture is stopping the asset seizure of the Samwa Cooperative and preparing to use CODI (Community Organizations Development Institute) funds to settle a 200 million baht debt. Forty representatives from the Khlong Kao Housing Community, members of the Samwa Eastern Credit Union, met with the Credit Union Federation of Thailand and Bangkok Cooperative Promotion Office on February 5th to request a halt to asset seizures. They submitted two key demands: postpone legal enforcement and property seizure to find a collective solution, and call for government agencies to investigate and provide compensation. A four-party meeting on February 10th involving the Cooperative Promotion Department, CODI, and affected cooperative members discussed potential solutions, including registering a new housing service cooperative under the Secure Housing Project. On February 14th, officials conducted a site inspection of 205 problematic land parcels, ultimately proposing to establish a new housing service cooperative that can borrow funds from CODI to settle debts with the Credit Union Federation of Thailand.