A fruit seller in Bangkok was forced to offer one of his eyes for sale because of financial debt.

A photo of the 57-year-old man sitting at his fruit stall, with a sign that translates into “Eye for sale”, went viral when it was posted on Facebook by a Thai citizen on March 8.

The photo caption reads: “Feeling sorry for him. Saw a person selling fruits at (Bangkok’s) Bang Bon district who announced he is ready to sell one of his eyes too.”

In interviews with the Thai media, the unnamed fruit seller said he needed money to repay his informal debt, the amount of which was not specified. He had taken out a loan for an investment that later failed.

Selling of human organs is illegal in Thailand, with severe penalties levelled on those involved, including medical practitioners.

The Thai Red Cross Society said only organ donations from relatives were allowed.

Thailand has one of the region’s highest ratios of household debt, at 16.2 trillion baht (S$608.4 billion) or 90.9 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, as at the end of September 2023, Reuters reported.

The use of illegal loan sharks is rife among lower-income families unable to get bank loans, with many people trapped by debt with high interest rates.

Thai Bankers’ Association president Payong Srivanich had projected that Thailand’s informal debt stood at 3.97 trillion baht.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Nov 28: “Informal debt is like modern-day slavery that destroys dreams... and a chronic problem.”