Bangkok City Administration Is Getting Ready To Tackle Human-trafficking Rackets

[webfact]

BMA aims to hunt down human traffickers

By The Nation

Published on January 12, 2010

The city administration is getting ready to tackle human-trafficking rackets and will move to make the issue part of the national agenda, deputy Bangkok governor Theerachon Manomaiphiboon said yesterday.

A Bangkok-wide survey will be conducted to estimate the number of beggars, both Thai and illegal immigrants, operating in the capital's 50 districts, he added.

Over the weekend the authorities arrested 557 foreign beggars, of whom 220 were men, charged them with illegal entry and are preparing to have them repatriated to Cambodia. The arrests were made jointly by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and its newly established National Operation Centre on Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking.

Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, who oversees the government's overall operations, said the arrests would kick-off measures against human traffickers. Meanwhile, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration hopes spearheading this project would help make it a role model for other provincial authorities.

-- The Nation 2010-01-12

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[gotlost]

A great PR ploy.

[Reasonableman]

Hope they include that male, middle-aged Caucasian who begs on footbridges around Victory Monument BTS, and at times around Baiyoke markets. Has the guy no pride? He even gave me the old story about his wallet having been stolen and needing money to get back to his home and wife in Chiang Mai. Gawd, how many times have I heard that one??! Anyway, his line must not have worked very well, since he was still begging in Bangkok 12 months later...I could understand him being trafficked tho, as no other country would want him...

[jontom]

A great PR ploy.

A great idea. How about getting rid of the Thai beggars as well, many of them look able to work but seem to prefer borrowing someones children(the younger the better) and hanging around on the street with them bothering people. If you sympathise with them go to Sukhumvit at 1am and look at all of the children begging with their adult gangleaders nearby. Ive watched them being taken home by taxi! Simple way to stop this would be if everyone gave them nothing but with so many Thai Budhists looking for immediate personal reward for giving beggars money thus gaining merit its hard to see this happening.

[rkidlad]

Hope they include that male, middle-aged Caucasian who begs on footbridges around Victory Monument BTS, and at times around Baiyoke markets. Has the guy no pride? He even gave me the old story about his wallet having been stolen and needing money to get back to his home and wife in Chiang Mai. Gawd, how many times have I heard that one??! Anyway, his line must not have worked very well, since he was still begging in Bangkok 12 months later...I could understand him being trafficked tho, as no other country would want him...

There used to be a young white guy outside MBK. My misses 'lent' him 500 Baht because she genuinely believed she would be helping him. He was back there 6 months later. I asked my misses what his story was and he coinfirmed the same story.

I was fuming, but being in a foreign country I didn't wanna cause too much of a scence. (Just called him a lazy thief with no self-respect)

It can be hard sometimes. Walking past a beggar with young kids. You feel obliged to give them something without realising that a lot of them are just playing on your compassion for helping your fellow human beings.

[ScubaBuddha]

When will the government learn that announcing your crackdowns in advance removes any chance of you actually catching anyone? And it just emboldens the criminals because they know they will get advance warning anytime a crackdown is coming. TIT!!!

[Wossnext]

Hope they include that male, middle-aged Caucasian who begs on footbridges around Victory Monument BTS, and at times around Baiyoke markets. Has the guy no pride? He even gave me the old story about his wallet having been stolen and needing money to get back to his home and wife in Chiang Mai. Gawd, how many times have I heard that one??! Anyway, his line must not have worked very well, since he was still begging in Bangkok 12 months later...I could understand him being trafficked tho, as no other country would want him...

There used to be a young white guy outside MBK. My misses 'lent' him 500 Baht because she genuinely believed she would be helping him. He was back there 6 months later. I asked my misses what his story was and he coinfirmed the same story.

I was fuming, but being in a foreign country I didn't wanna cause too much of a scence. (Just called him a lazy thief with no self-respect)

It can be hard sometimes. Walking past a beggar with young kids. You feel obliged to give them something without realising that a lot of them are just playing on your compassion for helping your fellow human beings.

I got accosted by a young white guy just before Christmas on the steps outside Siam Centre waiting for my 79 bus, he came over and said do you speak English (In hindsight I shoulda' said Nein!) or just dropped my bottom lip and looked confused, any way he said to me who do you support then, I just looked at him and said my family! wot a dick, news flash.....not all brits are mad about footie, actually I support Chelsea .

He said I suppose you think I am going to ask for money dont you and smiled at me, to which I replied oh I dont mind if you want money, it makes no odds to me because I'm not going to give you any, and smiled broadly back at him. He wasn't aggressive nor was he scruffy but I was pissed off anyway as I dont like being approached like that. Maybe he wanted something else from me Gulp! enter 79 bus and exit me phew!

[infernalman7]

Believe it or not there are not that many Thai beggars in Bangkok.

[churchill]

Disabled people 'used for money'

Hanoi - A couple has been charged with trafficking disabled Vietnamese people to Thailand and organising them into a begging ring, an official said on Tuesday.

Le Hong Bao, a prosecutor in southern An Giang province, said Lam Minh Hoang, 59, and his wife Nguyen Thi Nga, 53, had been charged with "organising other persons to flee abroad illegally."

The Vietnamese couple met while working in massage parlours in Cambodia in 1995, according to the indictment. In 2003, they migrated illegally to Thailand, where they found that begging was highly profitable.

In 2006, the couple returned to Vietnam, where they recruited 10 disabled people over the course of three years and sent them through Cambodia to Thailand to join a begging ring.

continued http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&am...02659497C707847

[ronz28]

Will the Shortage of Women in China Lead to Attempted Trafficking of Females in Thailand for Chinese Wives?

More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without a woman to wed by 2020, and a Chinese proclivity to abort female fetuses is a major contributing factor, a major study has found.

Abductions and trafficking of women are "rampant" in areas with excess numbers of men, The Global Times reported, citing findings by China's National Population and Family Planning Commission.

http://www.sphere.com/world/article/shorta...llenge/19311767

[ScubaBuddha]

Believe it or not there are not that many Thai beggars in Bangkok.

I have always found it interesting how few homeless people and beggers there are in Thailand. I always attributed it to the extended family concept. There is always someone to take you in and call you "brother" or "sister" if you are willing to pull at least a little weight if you are able bodied.

Visit any medium to big city in America and throw a rock, you'll hit three homeless people. Unemployment rate in the US is 10%. In Thailand it's less than 2%.

[DP25]

They can deport the beggars, but unless they jail the people organizing and bringing them in to the country, they will just be back next week.

[swifty5x5]

I think the police will know there exact locations.

[Phuquephace]

It is always good to see the Thai Tax Dollar put to good use - oh yes, Hillary is on her way to Asia.

[sharecropper]

Hope they include that male, middle-aged Caucasian who begs on footbridges around Victory Monument BTS, and at times around Baiyoke markets. Has the guy no pride? He even gave me the old story about his wallet having been stolen and needing money to get back to his home and wife in Chiang Mai. Gawd, how many times have I heard that one??! Anyway, his line must not have worked very well, since he was still begging in Bangkok 12 months later...I could understand him being trafficked tho, as no other country would want him...

I think the best concept of "trafficking" in cases like this would be to throw him off the bridge!

[salty]

It will probably as sucessful as all other crackdowns. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz