Street People Of Bangkok

[Baht Simpson]

What's the deal with the street people of Bangkok? I've been to BKK many times and have often put a few coins in cups. I was once scolded by an American gentleman who worked in BKK who told me that I shouldn't give them money as they were hired by Thai criminals to tout on the streets. This may be true, but on many occasions I have seen kids sleeping out on the streets or on the stone bridges that span the roads. Surely they can't all be employed by the Thai mafia can they?

[dfwbkk]

They can. (But then again, define Mafia)

/// DFW

[chanchao]

Yes they can.

You can see them being trucked to the various points where they are stationed, and picked up again at the end of their shift.

It's a job.

[possom]

by no means are "ALL" the street people of bangkok employed by the mafia . maybe some or even most that work the tourist and farang areas, but dont forget there is little choice for many elderly and disabled and the giving of alms is their salvation . many of these people would be only too happy to have a home to be taken home to . be thankfull for what you have !!!!!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

by no means are "ALL" the street people of bangkok employed by the mafia . maybe some or even most  that work the tourist and farang areas, but dont forget there is little choice for many elderly and disabled and the giving of alms is their salvation . many of these people would be only too happy to have a home to be taken home to . be thankfull for what you have !!!!!

Don't give to every beggar ... but does the small pittance you ever give, ruin your economic circumstances ? Have a soul.

[possom]

well said doc , a few baht here and there for the majority that frequent this forum is nothing . khao niew haa baht is a full stomach for an old lady .. food for thought

[Tornado]

I give the old beggars money, where it goes, I do not know or care really. The smile is worth 20 baht in my book.

They are not all "mafia" controlled, some of them are just homeless.

I was locked up once for a night in a Jail here in Thailand (nothing major, had a problem with a farang and we both had to stay in - we were mates by the end of it and we paid 500 baht and made big apologies to the police), I met a limbless beggar in the jail (he was locked up for begging). His story was truly horrible. When he was born he was sold and the "owner or mafia" cut off all of his limbs, as the limbless get better money due to the obvious reasons. He had been on the street all of his life - it was the sadest story I have heard in Thailand

[stroll]

I don't think they are 'employed' by mafia or what you wanna call it, it is rather that these vulnerable people have not much choice other than accepting the 'protection' offered, and taken care of to some degree by the 'caretakers'.

There are other people living temporarily in the street, who have fallen on hard times, and they are often too shy to beg.

[royar2002]

Not all, but most of the children are employed by criminal, and they are not Thais but Cambodians.

[possom]

many of the kids are cambodian ,and are used i agree , personally i never give money to kids or anyone physically capable of a days work ,but i do not mind giving them some fruit or some sweets ,something that their "masters " dont want . these kids are very vulnerable (to all sorts of abuse )and a little thoughtfullness costs very little and gives so much .

[royar2002]

Good Idea! Give them food, not money!

[ka12345]

If you give them money you are forcing out more kids on the street. Some are kidnapped, some are sold by their parents and some are just sent out by their parents.

Those in real need will not get to Sukhumvit. You can help them through charity organizations or just by loading up a pickup at Tesco and driving to the poor village of your choice. School materials, food etc

[ka12345]

Related thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11947

[castelleone]

Some time ago I had a nice party. Five beggar children between 9 and 12 "helped" me out of my taxi in front of a shopping mall in order to beg for tip. I did not feel like giving money but invited the whole bunch to Macdonalds where we then peacefully munched the burgers and coke.

We had a ball and the folks were looking amused. At least I was sure that my "contribution" ended up in their stomachs.

[stroll]

.

Edited June 23, 2004 by stroll

[OldAsiaHand]

If you give them money you are forcing out more kids on the street. Some are kidnapped, some are sold by their parents and some are just sent out by their parents.

Yeah, sometimes it is absolutely heartbreaking to pass these kids by. On the other hand, the more successful they are at getting money from us, the longer they will be staked out there from dawn to dusk by whoever is abusing them. Whatever I do I'm never sure I made the right choice. It's just pitiful.

[griffer]

yep--its definitely the best plan to go get them some food ....

but..

there is a guy who pushes himself along sukhumvit (mainly between soi 3 and asok)..he lays flat on his stomach and pushes a begging bowl in front of him... from what I can remember, i think he has a leg missing.

I know its sad...but the look of horror from holidaying families who are browsing in the shops, and then the kids are confronted with having to step around this guy..

is it really the image that Thailand wants..or does the "image" of Thailand compare with this guy surviving?

I don't know..I haven't the answer..I know when I see the guy it is distressing.

there was another guy with a similar disability who set himself up as a shoe-repairer in the soi near the building where I live...I really admired him...he spoke no english but we got along in that nodding laughing farang sort of way..if i wanted any repairs I got them done there.. and any shoes that i'd finished with I used to give to him and he'd polish them up and sell them to the guards in the next building..and then they would laugh and point at their shoes when i walked past..all good stuff.

[OxfordWill]

Do any NGOs or charities do work expressly on the issue of street kids?

[john b good]

Some time ago I had a nice party. Five beggar children between 9 and 12 "helped" me out of my taxi in front of a shopping mall in order to beg for tip. I did not feel like giving money but invited the whole bunch to Macdonalds where we then peacefully munched the burgers and coke.

We had a ball and the folks were looking amused. At least I was sure that my "contribution" ended up in their stomachs.

Castelleone.

Your mode (McDonalds) was/is the only real way to be sure the money spent (for te food) goes into the tummies of the kids.

Not surprisingly though that many of the kids are likely to decline the invitation.

Leastaways that was my experience in Saigon.

[Orion76]

Yes they are all mafia employed, as a matter of fact a beggar who would just choose a spot on Sukhumvit to beg would likely get the crap beaten out of him.

Giving them money does them no good whatsoever because they don't get to keep any of it. In addition you are financially supporting the people that run this type of business, do you really want to invest your money in such an evil organization?

If you want to help donate money to charity, or just give them food that they can eat on the spot.

[mbkudu]

Good Idea! Give them food, not money!

Near the Victory Monument a girl agout 10 years old threw a small bag of peanuts at me that I had given her. I told her to go #### herself.

[mbkudu]

Call me heartless, call me cold. I never give money to beggars.

[thongdee]

Good Idea! Give them food, not money!

mostly they don't acept food I give some old clothes from me every year on my trip to Thailand .... should see them faces

[mag4570]

Stroll: Your sarcastic remarks don't go unnoticed, If that is your intention to acquire attention your failing big time, You might try to be a little more understanding than obtuse, Will work wonders.

[chanchao]

I don't live in Bangkok, but what I do is that I never give to beggars in tourist areas. In non tourist areas I actually usually do, those are mostly people walking past tables at night food markets and such, sometimes selling something, sometimes just begging. In those cases I might give something.

In Bangkok I usually don't, also in non-tourist areas begging can be an organized business. (Granted, likely not always but I don't know.)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[mbkudu]

Chanchao, have you noticed that in rural areas there are very few beggars. My wife and I go to visit her home village in rural Nong Bualampoo two or three times a year. In this village there are no beggars, zero. There is a mix of well off farm families and poor to very poor families, but people simply don't beg. It is beneath

them to beg, no matter how poor.

[medicinebox]

I thought the Thais would feed an extra mouth if need be? Maybe they only do this up country, thus no beggars.

Anyway, Cambodia is far worse for beggars, they follow you and grab onto your arm. I bought a big bag of sweets to give them. Everytime I handed a couple out I got looks of disgust and frowns.

They were purely after money, and even had the cheek to turn the sweets down.

You never know if your doing the right thing, so fack the lot of em now.

[keestha]

True, in a normal Thai rural area you hardly see any beggars. I am living in a rural area which is somewhat less normal in the sense that it is developing as a tourist destination. In the low (tourism) season there are not any beggars here, but in the high season there are people begging at the talaat nat (market which is held twice a week). Local people told me these beggars are definitely not from around here though, I presume they come here to beg at the talaat nat, and the next day they will be begging somewhere else.

[stevenjm]

Age seems no barrier either - I gave some change to a boy at mae sai about 5yo who was carrying a crying, sweating baby in a blanket in 39 degree heat that looked like it was that young it should have been in a humidy crib.(quite obviously a prop supllied by whoever he worked for)

He seemed dispointed in what I'd given him and picked through the change and threw all the half baht coins away.

[Hit]

Even if 9 out of 10 street people were hired by the mafia, I wouldn't feel duped because I know I helped the one person that wasn't.