Begging For A Solution To Pattaya City’S Street Urchins

Begging for a solution to city’s street urchins

PATTAYA: -- Pattaya’s outdoor markets are becoming as well known for professional beggars as they are for fresh fruit and good deals.

At South Pattaya’s Wat Chaimongkol Market, vendors complain that child and disabled beggars operate with impunity, protected by moneyed criminals and unaffected by sporadic city enforcement patrols.

Lek Intarasorn, 54, said she’s been selling fruit at the market for 20 years and that the begging operation is now a permanent fixture. Connected underworld figures bring in a steady stream of kids and disabled people to solicit donations, taking in more than 1,000 baht each a day.

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-- Pattaya Mail 2011-03-04