Pattaya’s persistent peddlers: Foreign flower sellers annoy tourists

[webfact]

Reports have emerged once more on May 26 of a troublesome trend in Pattaya: foreigners with young children in tow, struggling to speak Thai, are pestering tourists by aggressively hawking flowers and candies.

 

Despite polite refusals, these persistent peddlers continue to follow potential customers, even tugging at their arms, creating a significant nuisance for holidaymakers.

 

Witnesses have also reported groups of beggars, both local and foreign, positioning themselves strategically along bustling tourist hotspots such as Walking Street and Soi Buakhao. These beggars, often accompanied by very young children, appeal to passersby for spare change, adding to the city’s growing problem.

 

Regular patrols and crackdowns by authorities seem to have little impact, as these foreign individuals mysteriously reappear, continuing to sell their wares and beg for money at various locations around the city, reported Pattaya Mail.

This ongoing issue casts a shadow over the effectiveness of current measures aimed at curbing such activities.

In related news, Bangkok police detained a 31 year old man in connection with a series of flower thefts at Pak Khlong market late April.

 

The suspect apprehended at the entrance to Klong Toey Community, has confessed to the crimes, admitting to four instances of theft. The operation led by the Deputy Chief of the Pak Khlong Talat Police and his team followed the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Criminal Court on April 26.

 

In other news, in a dramatic incident that captivated social media and sparked intense debate, three British tourists were violently assaulted by contracted guards following a heated argument over a bill on Pattaya Soi 6.

 

The Pattaya police said there was nothing they could do about the brutal assault on the British men unless they came forward and lodged a complaint. The Brit who was kicked in the head came forward and filed a complaint with Pattaya Police on Thursday.

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of Pattaya Mail

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-06-03

 

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[nobodysfriend]

Sometimes it is better not to give or buy .

Most of those sellers are organized and have a ' boss ' supervising them .

If you give to one , more will follow ...

Happened to me in Cambodia , I was asked for money by a poor woman with a child ... I gave some and was soon surrounded by a group of about 20 people asking for money ... annoying .

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, nobodysfriend said:

Sometimes it is better not to give or buy .

Most of those sellers are organized and have a ' boss ' supervising them .

If you give to one , more will follow ...

Happened to me in Cambodia , I was asked for money by a poor woman with a child ... I gave some and was soon surrounded by a group of about 20 people asking for money ... annoying .

Yes, along with the beggars with the lolling children. Have seen them being dropped off from a pickup. 

[Gsxrnz]

Once observed a one-legged street beggar slide down a narrow Soi, open the back of his Fortuner to retrieve his prosthetic leg, throw his wheelchair in the back, and proceed on his way.

 

And I'm sure the one-armed young bloke who always wears an extremely oversize shirt does have two arms. One day I expect to catch him driving a Lambo.

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Regular patrols and crackdowns by authorities seem to have little impact,

And that sums it up.

The flower sellers have been a pain since I first came to Thailand back in the early 90's

[HappyExpat57]

I usually don't care what country these stories are about, but this one? I'm curious. Russians evading war? American backpackers who didn't think things through?

[ThaiFelix]

Reminds me of the annoying nut sellers in Bangkok, the more you say no the more aggressive and determined they became, even entering my rented property.....its more like forget the nuts just pay me to leave!

[ThaiFelix]

17 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Once observed a one-legged street beggar slide down a narrow Soi, open the back of his Fortuner to retrieve his prosthetic leg, throw his wheelchair in the back, and proceed on his way.

 

And I'm sure the one-armed young bloke who always wears an extremely oversize shirt does have two arms. One day I expect to catch him driving a Lambo.

One late night in Bali I watched a whole van load of 'beggers' changing back into their 'civvies' and handing back their rented babies before being paid and driven home to the villages.

[RichardColeman]

It was happening atleast 23 years ago with Kids selling gum at the bars

[black tabby12345]

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

I was asked for money by a poor woman with a child ... I gave some and was soon surrounded by a group of about 20 people asking for money ... annoying .

 

I have seen exactly the same scene in Thai-Burmese border(Tachilek) nearly 2 decades ago.

Dirty little  hill tribe boy in worn clothing begged money to the westerners passing by on the border bridge.

When one old man  gave some, he was then surrounded by 10-20 of such.

And he looked like panicked.

So I refused to give money when another similar one asked for a change.

Even though I often give 10 B to the beggar sitting roadside elsewhere.

[black tabby12345]

positioning themselves strategically along bustling tourist hotspots.

 

Looks like the best line in this article.

And it shows they are  well-organized by those behind the scene.

In some countries(might include Thailand), there are underground shops  that rent out baby for the female beggars. So they can earn more by buying sympathy from the passers-by.

 

[ChrisY1]

This has been ongoing in the red light areas for decades....often it was just little kids around 5 or 6 selling junk. And as mentioned.....beggars are managed....!

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Yes, along with the beggars with the lolling children. Have seen them being dropped off from a pickup. 

Yes, it's a gang I suppose. Similar to Gypsy gangs in Europe.

[OneMoreFarang]

It's organized. And it wouldn't happen if the authorities wouldn't let it happen. Someone makes a lot of money, and it's not the sellers on the streets. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

On a related note, does anyone remember the flower seller in Bangkok that used to support Newcastle United? He would greet you with 'Haway the Lads' and always wore a Newcastle shirt! Unfortunately, he died a few years back. If you were out in Bangkok on mid to lower Sukhumvit in the 2000's and early 2010s you would see him every night.

He worked hard and managed to send his daughter to a decent school and uni. 

 

Over in Laem Chabang, these flower sellers are young women in their 20's and come from Vietnam, and the local Thais can't stand them. 

[actonion]

These Beggars, women and kids sit, or used to sit  a few years ago on  top  of the bridges that cross over Sukhumvit Rd in Bangkok, Asoke  / Nana area, Around 4 or 5pm  a pick up truck stops at the  bridges to pick them up, ..so, yes an organised racket..

[Chris Daley]

Happened to me in the mall.  There was a poster of some Thai kids smiling next to a banana tree.  He said they are poor orphans and they need money.  I said I will adopt one of the kids.  He looks terrified and turned away.

[BangkokReady]

3 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Sometimes it is better not to give or buy .

 

Most of the time it's better not to give or buy.  There's a huge chance that it's fake, be that part of a gang or an individual pretending.

 

Give to people you know are genuine.  Everyone else, just ignore.

[brianthainess]

Just say no thanks, then NO !

[brianthainess]

I can remember when kids on the beach had caged sparrows, and asked for money to free them.