Bma To Round Up Bangkok Beggars

[PhilHarries]

Maybe the Suk Slider could be classed as a street acrobat?

<deleted> you've just made me spit out my iced tea.

As for jokes, now c'mon folks this is supposed to be a serious topic. I mean, you never see frivolous letters written to the Bangkok Post do you?

WOOOooooooooooot WOOOoooooooooooot WOOOoooooooooooot. Alarm, alarm, alarm das verboten werdens hast bin sprecken.

[DP25]

I saw the Sukhumvit slider at ON Nut BTS station how the hel_l did he get there?????All night sliding from Nana?

I've heard that guy has one of those arm powered cycles.

Regardless he does get around and it isn't by sliding.

[Credo]

It's amazing at how arrogant some people can get be to the less able in a society. I very much doubt that people beg because it's such a lucrative way to make money.

[granuaile]

It's amazing at how arrogant some people can get be to the less able in a society. I very much doubt that people beg because it's such a lucrative way to make money.

I'm inclined to agree. I generally don't have any spare money since I'm not working and just trying to get one day to the next myself on a little savings and what is left on my pension after bills in the US. But I still cannot help but feel, though all my Thai friends say don't give because it is run by criminal gangs and most are from neighboring countries. I don't know. In the US at least it can be lucrative. People stand near the interstates with signs "Will work for food." If offer them work they refuse and usually stay at moderately-priced hotels. I guess scams here too. The thing is then the really needy suffer too because they are all suspect. My Thai friends say better to give to temple or mosque because they can help members of their community then...

[webfact]

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[shotover]

The Cambodian lady who has been begging underneath the Asoke BTS station for at the least the past 5 years. About every other month, she changes out the adorable daughters that sleep on the sidewalk next to her.

How can the authorities overlook someone who has begged at such a busy spot for such a long time?

[boggle]

"Sukhumvit Slider"

Mrs used to work there at soi 7 BTM plaza for 5 years. Girls in the Plaza's shops estimated that on a good day he could make 5000 bht. Thats only him. His Mrs and kids worked begging on the corner as well. He has been arrested and sent back to Cambodia before but soons turns up again on Sukhumvit.

Cops came to gather him up one day. Tell you what, can he power along hopping on one leg.

The kids begging with their puppies on Sukhumvit. I have seen them get of the bus straight from school, change out of their smart and neat school uniforms and into their grotty working cloths. Not even trying to hide the fact.

[Credo]

What a life some people have--estimating how much a beggar makes. If it's so damned lucrative, maybe the Mrs. should start doing that too. 5,000baht a day--I very much doubt it. If they did, most thieves would stop stealing and start begging.

[Daren]

The article is so bad I actually decided to write the editor of The Nation... However, I suspect he's too dumb and/or illiterate to reply.

Edited January 31, 2010 by Daren

[OzMick]

It's amazing at how arrogant some people can get be to the less able in a society. I very much doubt that people beg because it's such a lucrative way to make money.

But it beats working for a living!

[Credo]

I don't know of anyone who has quit work so they could beg--anywhere. Do you really think it is a good income and easy? Would you like to sit on a Bangkok street for many hours and suffer both the abuse and humiliation of others for a few baht?

If you look at the attitude of most of the people posting in this forum, they barely consider these people as human.

It's good to remember the phrase: There, but for the grace of God, go I.

[astral]

Nice of them to give 2 weeks warning..........................

[bangon04]

What a life some people have--estimating how much a beggar makes. If it's so damned lucrative, maybe the Mrs. should start doing that too. 5,000baht a day--I very much doubt it. If they did, most thieves would stop stealing and start begging.

There are overheads - you have to pay the powers that be for a lucrative pitch - in an area populated by lots of gullible foreigners, and presumably begging carries with it some loss of face.....

[khaowong1]

131 beggars in the capital

131 beggars in Bangkok?! There must be 131 in lower Sukhumvit alone...

[khaowong1]

131 beggars in the capital

131 beggars in Bangkok?! There must be 131 in lower Sukhumvit alone...

I was thinking the same thing...some of them have been around so long I recognize them, they're still there and not going anywhere soon.

the guy with the dog on the way to the nana bts station has been there for at least 10 years..

[khaowong1]

About time, and I might take some photo's, particularly the fat guy with the Dog who used to be near Soi 1 and for some reason is now at the front of Central Rama 3, not to forget the "Sukhumvit Slider"

I was just going to ask about the "Sukhumvit Slider". I know he's been there at least 6 years.

[khaowong1]

The sames one's I see everyday in lower sukhumvit for years are still there,,,

Old lady with the wooden leg near Pacific Place / Nana BTS with the cup with a few coins in it she rattles as you walk bye.

Directly opposite side of the street near the entrance to soi 7, the old guy with his hand perpetually held out.

The guy on the walkover between these two that does a poor job sometimes of hiding his mobile phone.

BMA PLEASE ROUND THESE ONES UP AND TAKE THEM AWAY!

On Nut BTS station old lady sits half way up the stairs waiing everyone probably to say sorry that we all have to go slowly and walk around her because SHE IS IN THE WAY!!!! , the man with 2 half arms on the top of the stairs who agressively bangs his stumps on the ground everytime I walk past, the 2 cheating Cambodian children (boy and girl)who recently have been pretending to be collecting for their school but are agressive beggars at the bottom of the stairs, the old lady with the false leg at Nana the 20 plus ones down Nana Soi 4 etc etc PS I saw the Sukhumvit slider at ON Nut BTS station how the hel_l did he get there?????All night sliding from Nana?

Almost forgot! also round up the stupid Americans who keep giving them money and encourage them to get in everyones way!

I suppose they only count beggars who simply ask for money. There is the guy who frantically bangs a plastic water bottle and groans (Suk Soi 1 and other places ) but maybe he can be classed as a street musician / busker???

Maybe the Suk Slider could be classed as a street acrobat?

And the footbridge "mothers" with their random babies could be street theater / performance art?

And as for the juvenile flower sellers / shoe cleaners etc....

I don't know if it's still true or not, but the flower sellers at nana used to be Vietnamese. I hear the one I used to see back in about 2002 or 03 is now dancing in one of the places inside nana.

[Bagwan]

It's amazing at how arrogant some people can get be to the less able in a society. I very much doubt that people beg because it's such a lucrative way to make money.

I totally agree with what you say and I trust that much of what has been written here is 'black humour' and the authors in their moments of sanity share your view. Some things in life are so terrible that one has to joke about them to relieve one's anguish/disgust/anger/shame. It is a well documented defence mechanism and I'll leave it to somebody with qualifications in trick cycling to explain.

The real shame in this matter should accrue to successive Thai governments. The welfare of these people is of no concern to them. People who have been maimed in road accidents should be paid a stipend by the insurance company of whoever caused the accident, those who have lost limbs due to land mines should be financially supported by the Government, servicemen injured in the course of their duties taken care of. A pipe dream of course; social responsibility has yet to rise above the Thai horizon.

The phu yais of course will say that they contribute to charity. The only manifestation of this that I have seen is pictures of the 'Mafia Madams', all of them several pounds overweight, wearing posh frocks the size of bell tents and immaculately coiffured, in the society pages where they queue up to have their photographs taken i.e. self marketing and 'being seen'. They then posture that they have raised 10k baht for charities which is about what one of their frocks cost. Jai dee my fundamental orifice.

And what of the monkhood? Ever seen a thin one, or one without a mobile phone? <deleted> are they doing in Tuk Com? Buying gear to distribute amongst the indigent? My wife's son was lodged in a Wat for six months (we saw it as a kind of Thai finishing school) and three days into his six month sojourn he telephoned to say that the previous day he had attend a funeral and his cut of the takings had been 300 baht. We never did find out where he got the mobile from. It would appear that the guardians of the Thai way of life have a slight distribution problem.

The more sensitive souls will agree that we farangs, as do the Thai comfortably off ne'er mind the filthy rich, are riding on the backs of the majority of the locals. It behoves upon us to be more charitable to the unfortunates than we (includes me) are. That said, no insult or injury should be spared the cheats and workshy who feign incapabilities.

[fiercesnake]

About time, and I might take some photo's, particularly the fat guy with the Dog who used to be near Soi 1 and for some reason is now at the front of Central Rama 3, not to forget the "Sukhumvit Slider"

Hey! I know who you mean. Gosh that guy has been doing that scam for years since I've been here. That Sukhumvit Slider guy I see over at Chatchuck on the weekend even manages to slide his way all over to Sampeng Lane in Chinatown on off days! Pretty good sliding trick to slide between those main tourist flooded areas. You're right, the bulk of these well known beggars are just scams. But hey those well known ones probably won't be rounded up as they undoubtedly will "assist" the BIB in any area requested by the BIB! LOL! Oh how synical. Yeah we should get pics of the best known ones on Thai Visa here and have a competition for the best beggar overall and could have various categories; best scam, dirtiest filthbag, best known, richest beggar (the one that finishes "work" and gets off into his Toyota Tata 4WD)?

[andyww]

I suppose they only count beggars who simply ask for money. There is the guy who frantically bangs a plastic water bottle and groans (Suk Soi 1 and other places ) but maybe he can be classed as a street musician / busker???

Reminds me of the guy in Oxford street, London who has been around for years. He just about gets into the category of busker by playing the flute. The only issue is he only ever plays the same note continuously.

[kurnell]

I saw this one girl, I assume she was a lady bum cos she was filthy black, with ragged clothes, walking near Foodland Sukhumvit, with short hair and the most voluptuous body...norks like...and an ass that...

She sort of looked like she had walked out of a prison-lesbian-porn movie. Whatever she was selling, I would have bought.

Vey, very strange though.

[mpetersen]

It's amazing at how arrogant some people can get be to the less able in a society. I very much doubt that people beg because it's such a lucrative way to make money.

I'm inclined to agree. I generally don't have any spare money since I'm not working and just trying to get one day to the next myself on a little savings and what is left on my pension after bills in the US. But I still cannot help but feel, though all my Thai friends say don't give because it is run by criminal gangs and most are from neighboring countries. I don't know. In the US at least it can be lucrative. People stand near the interstates with signs "Will work for food." If offer them work they refuse and usually stay at moderately-priced hotels. I guess scams here too. The thing is then the really needy suffer too because they are all suspect. My Thai friends say better to give to temple or mosque because they can help members of their community then...

Begging is a lucrative "profession". Try 3-4000 THB per day in a decent location... Some really armless kids aren't armless by accident. And there is such a thing as a beggars' mafia, i.e. someone behind the scenes arranging to drop them off, collect money, pay off BIB etc etc. Not just in Thailand, by the way. Maybe in North America the downtrodden are real beggars in the traditional sense, but not in Bangkok. I doubt the old ladies on the streed "want" to sit there, but someone puts them there.

[Zpete]

131 beggars in the capital

131 beggars in Bangkok?! There must be 131 in lower Sukhumvit alone...

Here in Vancouver Canada there is like 800 beggars and drug addicts around.

on East Hastings...

Arriving late at the rail/bus station in Van, I was approached by 5 panhandlers/beggars before I reached my digs just across the park.

Demanding smokes or money.

Only city I have visited in 50 years travelling I have been concerned about my safety.

No worries in Bangers.