Dorm Owner Demands Students' Flood Relief Cash, Threatens Eviction

Drama erupts as students at a well-known university renting dormitories hit by flooding receive 9,000 baht in government relief, only to have the dorm owner demand 4,000 baht per room for repairs, threatening eviction for those who refuse. Another perspective emerges from the dorm manager. At 11:19 p.m. on November 12, 2026, Pol. Lt. Col. Anon Silaman, investigator at Ratchasan Police Station in Chachoengsao Province, took a report from Mr. Thiraphat (surname withheld), 22, a student at a university in the area, to document the incident as evidence in the case of a dorm owner demanding a share of flood compensation from tenants. The case has sparked heated debate online. Students renting rooms in the flood-affected zone received 9,000 baht in state aid to ease the impact of the deluge, but complaints arose that the owner demanded 4,000 baht per room, claiming the money would fund building repairs. Mr. Thiraphat said he rents at a dormitory in Ratchasan District, adjacent to the university in Bang Khla District, where most tenants are students from the same institution. In early October 2026 the dormitory suffered severe flooding that disrupted living conditions. Later, when the government rolled out flood-victim compensation, the dorm management told tenants who had received the payout to transfer 4,000 baht per room back to the dorm, labeling it a maintenance fee. Those who refused were warned they might be forced out, and the manager reportedly knocked on doors demanding the share as soon as the relief money arrived. The student felt the demand was unfair because the dormitory itself should be eligible for state compensation. He has lived there for two years; some friends have stayed three years. Several other students face the same problem but are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their housing and having nowhere else to go, so they reluctantly paid the 4,000 baht. The owner set a condition: anyone who refuses to split the 4,000 baht must vacate the room, leaving students in a desperate bind, unable to refuse even if they disagreed. The dorm manager told reporters that every tenant had agreed to share the relief money, 4,000 baht each. The manager claimed the request originated because students wanted new bed frames and mattresses after their old ones were ruined by floodwater, so the collected money would buy replacements and cover other repairs. The manager also said many tenants knew in advance they would have to transfer 4,000 baht after receiving the aid, and most did so immediately. The manager insisted no one was forced to pay, denying that non-payment would lead to eviction, and called online claims to the contrary false. The manager added that anyone unhappy could request a refund of the 4,000 baht and move out, and that some had already done so. The issue remains under scrutiny, requiring fact-finding from both student tenants and the dorm owner to clarify who is entitled to the relief money and whether any agreement or justification supports the collection. Pol. Lt. Col. Anon Silaman will question the dorm owner to ensure aggrieved parties receive justice.