I Wonder About This Guy`s Immigration Status......

[Neeranam]

QUOTE(Neeranam @ 2005-05-12 12:03:54)

...I have known a couple of farnag beggars who diidn't have visas and slept in the park. The police never bothered with them after they realised thay didn't have a visa.

Sometimes the police can be more compassionate than fellow countrymen.

What? The police didn't do anything... and you think it's because they have compassion! 

They didn't bother with them after they realised they had no money.

There are some good coppers out there, believe it or not.

I was involved in a drunken fight once upcountry, well actually I got beaten up.

This copper appeared on the scene and gave me 300 baht to stay the night in a hotel.

If you look like you are loaded, driving a brand new car, you won't see much compassion. Believe me, some of them are very compassionate guys. I have heard a lot of stories saying this.

Not everything has to do with money in Thailand.

Most Thai people when they see someone suffering, help.

[RDN]

There are some good coppers out there, believe it or not.

I was involved in a drunken fight once upcountry, well actually I got beaten up.

This copper appeared on the scene and gave me 300 baht to stay the night in a hotel.

If you look like you are loaded, driving a brand new car, you won't see much compassion. Believe me, some of them are very compassionate guys. I have heard a lot of stories saying this.

Not everything has to do with money in Thailand.

Most Thai people when they see someone suffering, help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're right - my comment was far too strong. It was supposed to be funny, but after reading it back, I can see that it's not . I should've said something like:

"The police didn't do anything? Are you sure it's not because the beggars didn't have any money?" .

[Boatabike]

ozzydom hewas also abussive to me because I didnt agree to

buy the food he was trying to sell - so he wasnt a full time

beggar -he was also promoting some " take away " Thai

food outlet which was pictured on some cards. So his

approach is that if don`t agree to buy the food from him- he then turns to

begging - not an absolutely 100% case of hardship I suggest ?!!!!!!

My point is I regularly drop coins into

cups of Thai people sitting on the floor near

Silom, World Trade Centre - simply because they have no way out. This

guy does have an alternative - he can go to

his Embassy and ask for a ticket home. There are not many Embassies

who would absolutely refuse provided he agreed to pay them back.

Also if he keeps this up - where will it all end ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if the above post is true then the guy was trying to earn money (work) by promoting the Thai food, in need of the cash (when u turned your sneering nose up at him) he begged for 5 baht, sneering even more you walked away from someone trying to get by through an obviously very hard time. Your (op) about the lowest of the low in my opinion.

All men are not created equal, when the shiet hits the fan some of us can pull ourselves out and start again. Some can't, some poor buggers need to be helped as they just cannot help themselves. I read it as he was trying to help himself but was struggling to find his way. The sort of people Thailand doesn't need are people like you.

[Kerryd]

Well, a lot of interest over 5 baht ! (I know, it's about the principle behind it, not the actual amount, that's generating all the comments).

To start with, there are profesional beggars. Begging has been a tradition in India for hundreds of years. In some of the more "PC" countries, they call it "pan-handling", as though that makes the profession sound classier.

A newspaper in Vancouver did a study on "pan-handlers", I think it was the summer of '98. Amazing. The average panhandler was raking in $95.00 (Cdn, about 3,000 baht) PER DAY ! At the time, I was a Master-Corporal in the Canadian Army. These guys were making about the same as I was, for sitting on their butts doing nothing.

Funny enough, the majority of them were NOT down-and-out homeless people or street kids, they were 18-22 year old adults from well-to-do neighbourhoods. They would beg for money during the day, and hit the clubs at night.

In some cases, they dressed and acted like streetkids in order to try and score with teenage runaway girls on the streets (easier than trying to pick up chicks in the bars I guess, and cheaper).

Some of them would even borrow pets from friends/neighbours, and make it look like they were only trying to get money to buy food for the dog (cats don't work as well when it comes to begging apparently). At the end of the day, they dump the pet back on it's owner and, yes, hit the bars.

My dad told me a story years ago about when he was a young guy in Vancouver. Saw an old beggar on the street, gave him a couple of bucks. Found out the guy wasn't all he seemed to be, so he spied on him the next day. Sure enough, at the end of the day, the old guy went into a garage, changed into decent clothes, hopped into his (almost new) cadillac (?) and drove off to his upscale home (dad actually followed him).

Turns out the guy was retired, and bored. He decided to beg for something to do, as a way of meeting people (being social in a limited way), and it gave him some spare pocket money.

This was in 1955 !

Most of those Thai beggars you see aren't that well off, but if you checked into it, you'd find a lot of them get dropped off in certain spots (by family members), and picked up by the same at the end of the day.

Sure helps pay the family bills when ole granny or grandpa can rake in a few hundred baht a day eh ?

Between the street beggars and the trips to the temple, I probably average over 500 baht a month in donations.

There's no way I'll ever be able to wipe out all the bad karma I've accumulated in this lifetime. I give in the hopes that if I should ever end up in the same situation, maybe someone else will show me a little of the same generosity.

Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

[chownah]

......................

Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would you steal before you'd consider begging?

[Kerryd]

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Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would you steal before you'd consider begging?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Depends on the circumstances, but yeah, I probably would.

[chownah]

......................

Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would you steal before you'd consider begging?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Depends on the circumstances, but yeah, I probably would.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, what do you think this says about you?

[Thomas_Merton]

......................

Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would you steal before you'd consider begging?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Depends on the circumstances, but yeah, I probably would.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, what do you think this says about you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Faced with this moral dilemma, I think I would steal too.

So I would be interested in seeing what you think it says about me as well (for the sake of argument only).

Edited June 12, 2005 by Thomas_Merton

[Mr Helper]

There not all genuine. I remember 2 British guys back in early 2002 in Bangkok. I wonder if anybody remembers them. Anyway one was about late 20's and from Liverpool, and the other was in his mid 40's, an Irish guy, but from Southampton. Well these 2 were a right pair, dressed just like the OP's American guy, but on the con. Used to con and bully tourists, and backpackers out of their money, go into bars bullying old guys who were with Thai girls. And they told me that once per month they'd go to Don Muang Airport, and go round as many people who are flying to England, and begging the 500 baht airport tax from them, they told me that they make between 6000 & 9000 baht each, everytime they go up there.

They scam shops, saying that they gave a 100 baht note when they only gave a 20, and stand their screaming until the manager comes, and the TG behind the counter is in tears (yes I have seen them do this). The pair were up to all sorts. I actually thought they had left Thailand, but in April 2002 I saw the Irish guy bullying a British couple right infront of the World Trade Centre, and he was being well out of order, to the extent that the couple were starting to get frightened, so I decided to step in and help them.

People like this are the ones who give expats a bad name, and arent needed in Thailand. So I think the OP did right, coz I myself would NEVER give any of these people even 1 baht.

Edited June 12, 2005 by Mr Helper

[chownah]

......................

Personally, I think I'd turn to crime before I'd consider begging though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would you steal before you'd consider begging?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Depends on the circumstances, but yeah, I probably would.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, what do you think this says about you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Faced with this moral dilemma, I think I would steal too.

So I would be interested in seeing what you think it says about me as well (for the sake of argument only).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What gave you any indication that I had formulated an opinion as to why someone would steal instead of beg? I just asked him what he thought this indicated about him. It is really of little importance what I think of him...or you. In your lives I'm just a bunch of small black text which appears on your monitor and I'm sure you don't take me too seriously. I'm not interested in trying to place my judgements onto him or you. If I was I would just be out with it...I'm not shy about speaking my mind which I'm sure is apparent from my posts. I think it is important, however, what someone thinks of their own values and actions. It seems a bit strange to me that someone would rather steal than beg....and I thought the best way to find out about this mindset would be to ask the question....so I'll ask you.

Thomas Merton, what do you think it says about you that you would rather steal than beg?

[Limbo]

So manyposters, so many words, all over bloody 5 baht   Jeeeeez

Yes Dr.Pat Pong, yes, yes, yes. I have nothing to add. Amazing!

Thank you!