Friends forced to pay "Rich dentist's" scholarship bill (Updated)

The former dentistry lecturer who refused to repay a 30-million-baht scholarship debt, leaving it to her guarantors, has told the Bangkok Post via email she will explain.

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Updated Tuesday

Explanation coming?

Bangkok Post writer Damrongkiat Mala says "Dr D", now identified as Dolrudee Jumlongras, who defaulted on a 30-million-baht scholarship loan, has been in contact with the Bangkok Post.

Responding to the allegations, Dr Dolrudee who works at Harvard Univsity in the United States, told the Bangkok Post via email she would like to give more details on the issue but she needs to talk to a few key people first to get their permission to discuss them.

Padet Poolwithayakit, a dentist in Saraburi who was one of the guarantors for Dr Dolrudee, told Matichon Online that several Thais in the US have offered to pitch in money to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit against Dr Dolrudee.

"I may have to accept their good intentions. They want me to set a standard," Dr Padet said.

Yesterday, in a report from our online reporters, Aporn Kanvong, the secretary-general of the Office of the Higher Education Commission was quoted as saying the terms of state scholarships have already been changed as a result of the massive default. Guarantors will now have to be family members, he said.

This, critics have pointed out, will disadvantage students whose family is not wealthy. There are also reports that many potential guarantors have stated they will not provide funds in the future.

Monday's story

'Rich dentist' leaves friends with 30 mln in debts

Damrongkiat Mala

Mahidol University has insisted it has done all it can to recover a 30-million-baht debt left by a former dentistry lecturer who refused to repay a scholarship and who now works at Harvard in the United States.

The university's claim followed widespread social media posts accusing Harvard – widely considered one of the world's top universities – of harbouring the former Mahidol lecturer who allegedly breached her state scholarship contract and left huge debts to her colleagues and lecturers who were her guarantors.

The 30 million baht is the equivalent of US$840,000 at current exchange rates.

Mahidol University vice-president Banchong Mahaisavariya has confirmed the story which went viral online about a former Mahidol dentistry instructor who defaulted on a large debt obligation from a scholarship she took in 1993.

The news was widely shared online, with a message posted by a dentist named Padet Poolwithayakit describing how he and three teaching staff at the university now had to pay out of their own pockets to settle the scholarship fund that has not been repaid by the dentist identified as "Dr D".

The four acted as guarantors of the scholarship which financed Dr D's master's degree and PhD studies at Harvard over 10 years from 1993.

After she completed her PhD, she did not return to teach at the university, contrary to the condition of the scholarship.

Dr D is now a researcher working at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

The Comptroller-General's Department pressed the university to recoup the money from Dr D. Mahidol had tried in vain to contact her and was required by law to turn to the guarantors. 

Dr Banchong said the university had done its best to bring Dr D to account.

However, she has since married and settled down in the US and is a naturalised US citizen. This puts her beyond the reach of Thai law, Dr Banchong said.

Normally, scholarship recipients must return upon the completion of their studies to teach at the university if they cannot repay the scholarship money.

If they fail to fulfill such an obligation, they must pay back three times the amount of the scholarship granted. In Dr D's case, this is 30 million baht.

He said the university has helped the guarantors by securing court permission to reduce the debt by two-thirds, to about 2.5 million baht each, or 10 million baht in total.

Dr Banchong added the university has arranged interest-free loans for the guarantors to cover the debt.

Dr Padet told a television talk programme on Channel 3 he did not know Dr D personally but decided to co-sign as a guarantor because he believed the scholarship would help produce precious manpower for Mahidol.

Angry Thais have been bombarding the Harvard Facebook page with comments like these.

On his Facebook page, Dr Padet said Dr D now works as a researcher at Harvard University and lives in a smart apartment.

"I have four kids of my own to take care of. But I'm now having to pay off her debt," he said. "She obviously had it all planned," he added.

The caption on this photo from the Olsen Symposium of 2011 reads: From left: Dr Bjorn R Olsen, Dr Porsche Jumlongras and Dr Reidunn Edlemann. (Photo from Facebook)

Calls were also made by social media users to change the terms and criteria for considering applicants for the government scholarships. They said the guarantors should be members of the recipients' immediate family so debt collection in case of a default would be easier.

The issue has attracted a great deal of attention on social media.

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