...Sad, thus one on one contribution or activity or interaction maybe better..

 

On 2/4/2019 at 11:09 PM, Spidey said:

Thais consider it good luck to give to beggars.

I occasionally give a little money to someone scavenging the trash bins..Never to any beggar.

I also give an occasional 100 baht to someone pushing a wheelchair in Big C  extra.

 

On 2/4/2019 at 11:53 PM, Spidey said:

But you're not helping the poor and needy. You're helping criminals fund their activities.

 

In the UK there are 100,000 registered charities, up from 40,000 only 20 years ago. They are generally set up by middle class people, who can't get a well paid job elsewhere. The majority of money donated, is used to buy their nice houses in the country, multiples of status cars and send their children to private schools.

 

It's estimated that 90% of the funds raised by these charities is ploughed back into "fundraising", which includes salaried staff and worst of all, Chuggers, young people who hassle you in town centres to sign you up to a charity. They too are invariably friends an family of the senior admin of the charity who are earning extra cash whilst at university.

 

Chuggers employ aggressive begging techniques and are a real menace. I have entertained myself, in the past, by standing next to them and explaining to passers by how much of their money will be used for a good cause. The chuggers are on commission and get very aggressive with me and, on more than one occasion, it turned physical.

 

Absolutely the worst charities, are the religious based charities. It made me laugh, when another poster mentioned NGO's with "Redemptrorist " in the name. American evangelists who's main purpose in Thailand is to make converts and, of course, collect money, the majority of which is sent back to the US to keep the Elders in the life they are accustomed to. Most of the rest, is used to ensure that the American workers, who come over here "to do God's work" have a great time here and have a good holiday, encouraging more of their flock to travel here in the future. Give money to NGOs? You'd be better served giving them a swift kick up the jacksy.

You see many immigrants sitting on the pavement offering 'The Big Issue' for sale..They do not care if they sell none..By offering it for sale they are considered 'Self Employed' and can thus claim various taxpayer funded benefits ...the lunatic left [publishers of the big issue] inform immigrants of this and many other ways to get taxpayer money.

 

20 years ago in Bangkok waiting for a microbus outside Siam Square there was a filthy female beggar with a[what appeared to me  be dead] tiny puppy..I few feet away was a young man with a push cart with sandwiches on...In the 15 minutes I was waiting the beggar had quite a lot of money put into her pot...The working lad sold nothing.

On 1/11/2019 at 1:45 PM, kingstonkid said:

If she is working for mafia  she will refuse the food.   The sad thing is that this happens in every country.   I didn't know that until I lived in Pakistan.   Our drivers used to keep fruit in the car.   Mothers with babies would come looking for money for food but refuse food no matter what it was.   On one corner we could see the handlers waiting. 

 

I am not naive to think that it doesn't happen  in big cities in Canada where groups can control an intersection.

 

 

If food  is refused it would confirm  her situation was mafia controlled. Therefore money would only be a contribution to them.

I have  been told about several sites in BKK where large  groups of slaves to such mafia exist. They cannot  run away for risk of beatings or death. They are regularly abused anyway to maintain the subjugation of fear.

More horrible is the deliberate maiming of children in the interest of the trade!

 

It's gut-wrenching to see sometimes, particularly when young babies are involved. Sadly the only way I think it will stop, unfortunately, is for EVERYONE to stop giving money. Only then with the Mafia/pimps stop.