Debt Collection in Asia

Fellows,

I have this very unique experience I would like to share with you in this related forum, about the ways they (debt collectors) do in Asia.

I am half-Asian, grew up in Ireland, after graduation I came back to teach English in Asia. Personally, this story is not about my personal debt, but it is about my students' debts. Their families owed to someone else, I guess. The incidents stunned me. It happened in 3 different countries, with the same debt collectors. I think, in Asia, debt collectors are more sophisticated, sadistic and they work in CARTEL mode.

It happened this entity (I am not so sure if it's a personal name or an organizational name), called the SS Kodama, well - usually people call it The Kodama People... And what I would like to share with you is the debt categorized not as education debt or living maintenance debt (sort of), but A BIG DEBT.

When first taught English in Malaysia, the father of my student was a gambling addict. He lost the greatest deal hell of money in 2002 (if I am not wrongly remember) - during the World Cup Soccer Game. He placed bets and lost. He lost his big mansion, Mercedes Benz, Yacht, Factories. However, he could not accept the lost. This man tried to avoid the dealer by running away from his home, somewhere to Cambodia / or Vietnam (as I heard directly from my student).

The way they do (The local Chinese Malaysian mafia), they knocked the house everyday and sat in front of the house (in the car). It was a very agonizing view. I could feel the fear of the rest of family. However, that was not a solution for the local mafia, because, the real culprit had already escaped overseas.

Then there was a call to the family, identifying themselves as The Kodama people. I didn't know what they said, but the wife was pretty petrified. Within two weeks (I supposed), these Kodama people got her husband in Cambodia, alive.

The end was tragic. The family finally surrendered all assets as promised. They moved to a smaller house (cheap apartment). They cancelled the private English course (with me), and the husband returned home, minus his nose, ears, fingers and other (tongue). I was shocked.

The wife cried. I asked her, why you don't report this to police. She said, these people are untouchable and ruthless. Well, I am sure they are.

Then, I moved to Taiwan (same job). This time, I heard another debt collection story, but it happened to be, "The Dear Neighbour" of my student. (Rich people society, stuffs like that).

It was surprising that, again, I heard that similar name, SS KODAMA. They destroyed the families' owned factory plants inside Taiwan and outside in Indonesia, with massive forces complete with heavy firearms and they took over the sites for days. No police came to help. No lawyer dares to speak. Not even Triad Gangsters try to come (Hahaha, of course, as I know the Chinese gangsters only carry kitchen knives and small pistol).

From that time onward, I was wondering. It becomes a certain interest in me to know more, Who Are These Kodama People? Then, I moved to Vietnam for the same mundial job.

Again, I heard about this name, The Kodama People.

In Vietnam, I taught more than dozens of students, one of them came from Hong Kong. The head of the family, Mr. Kong spoke Cantonese but fluent English. When we talked about gambling places, suddenly came out this SS Kodama people story, AGAIN. I was bewildered for a moment. Then I asked him, about these gangsters acting as debt collectors. Oh, Mr. Kong knows much about these people, but seemed that he was careful enough to speak up.

The outcome is that, these people has no legal institution, they are not lawyer, the leader is unknown, they are Yakuza but not real Yakuza (he said somekind of shadow Yakuza - The Yakuza inside The Yakuza). The owners of the group were probably Japanese (judging from the name), but for sure they came from wealthy family background.

The surprising story to me, Mr. Kong mentioned about Freemasons and Rotary Club in Asia. Most of these SS Kodama people comfortably sit inside the organization and they absorbed foreign mercenaries ex-Africa (it was the one where the son of Margaret Thatcher was involved) and one dismissed mercenary group in Papua New Guinea (I know the name but I can't write it in here). And most of their clients are upper class people from businessmen, local mafia, military leaders, politicians and even up to certain Asian and SOUTH AMERICAN countries' Presidential families.

I whispered to myself, WOW. These people, their tentacles reach every corner in the world. I wondered if they live merely by debt-collections...

Then, I travelled to Thailand. Still in my mind, solid curiosity over these group. I feel I want to meet these people and see with my own head how untouchable they are. Feels like a film or something, but they are real. I wonder if they also operate in Thailand. So far, I have found no one talked about the name in here, not even in the shanty gangster area like Phat Phong market.

When I read the news about CIA's anti-terror secret prisons in Gitmo and Eastern Europe, done by their private subcontractors, my mind lingers. What they do, has similar method with these Kodama people, and how these Kodama people work has similar method to CIA. Vice versa.

I don't try to make controversial preassumption, but all I know from Mr. Kong in Ho Chi Minh city, these Kodama people operate their own air service too, they have vast private jets without tail mark, similar to the ones used by CIA. Reckoning the high places they dwell within, I somehow could see possibility of tracks, but still I have no evidence to link.

If any of you has similar story / experience about Asian debt-collection styles, especially these notorious untouchable SS Kodama people, please kindly post it in here, I am really looking forward to reading it.

Thanks.

Bye.

- Ol Patrick