Ministry of Social Development will impose regulations to manage beggars in Bangkok

[webfact]

Ministry of Social Development and Human Security will impose regulations to manage beggars in Bangkok

BANGKOK, 10 October 2014 (NNT) - Social Development and Human Security Minister Pol. Gen. Adul Sangsingkeo will apply certain measures to regulate beggars found living off the streets and pedestrian bridges in the capital by next week.

According to Pol. Gen. Adul, the number of beggars in Bangkok has been steadily growing due to abject poverty. However, he also stated that a number of children belong to a human trafficking gang and were forced to beg on the streets. Many are dependents of alien workers and are unable to attend schools.

Therefore, he has requested municipality officials, social workers, doctors, and NGOs to help provide aid to these homeless people and resolve the problem of human trafficking.

Pol. Gen. Adul said that should these beggars be foreign nationals, then they would be sent to the Immigration Office and deported back to their countries of origin. Should these beggars be underprivileged Thais, however, then the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security would provide assistance to let them have a better opportunity in society.

As of now, it is estimated that there are at least 410 Thai beggars and 323 foreign beggars living in Bangkok. Begging has become a deeply-rooted problem in Thailand for several years due to the level of wealth disparity in the nation.


-- NNT 2014-10-10

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City foreign beggars to be deported



BANGKOK: -- The Social Development and Human Security Ministry will begin a crackdown on beggars in the capital as they might fall victims to human trafficking.

Foreign beggars will be deported while Thai children beggars will be sent to schools.

According to the Minister of Social Development and Human Security Pol Gen Adul Sangsingkeo, certain measures to regulate beggars found living off the streets and pedestrian bridges in the capital will be implemented next week.

He said the number of beggars in Bangkok has been steadily growing due to poverty, among them are a number of children belonging to a human trafficking gang were forced to beg on the streets.

Many are dependents of migrant workers and are unable to attend schools, he said.

Therefore, he has requested municipality officials, social workers, doctors, and NGOs to help provide aid to these homeless people and resolve the problem of human trafficking.

Pol Gen Adul said that should these beggars be foreign nationals, then they would be sent to the Immigration Office and deported back to their countries of origin.

But if these beggars are Thais, then the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security would provide assistance to let them have a better opportunity in society.

As of now, it is estimated that there are at least 410 Thai beggars and 323 foreign beggars living in Bangkok, he said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/city-foreign-beggars-deported/


-- Thai PBS 2014-10-10

[maamoot]

National disgrace , these little children begging on the streets making money for organized crime .

[Mango Bob]

410 Thai beggars and 323 foreign beggars does sound like a huge amount for a city of over 6 million people. The number of foreigner beggars does bother me. Why are they not deported or at least turned over to their government to be responsible for them.

[Sviss Geez]

410 Thai beggars and 323 foreign beggars does sound like a huge amount for a city of over 6 million people. The number of foreigner beggars does bother me. Why are they not deported or at least turned over to their government to be responsible for them.

"Why are they not deported or at least turned over to their government to be responsible for them."

I think you'll find that that was the point of the OP.

[Lobo4819]

Trying to regulate beggars is trying to regulate poverty - perhaps some will be allowed to be poor and the rest will be required to aspire to a Ferrarri and be like the hi-so's on Thai TV.

More seriously, solutions usually follow the easiest path, not always the wisest. It is a common practice in the West and everywhere else to put the beggars/mentally ill/down on their luck onto a bus and 'gift' them to another city. Anything else would cost a lot of money and - oh, the horror - some effort and initiative on the part of the governmental agencies

And as a sub-paragraph to that, if the agencies were to get involved, it would slowly begin to resemble the welfare state that the US has devolved into over the past 50 years, and many would want to join the "money for nothing and your kids for free" bandwagon, necessitating more regulatory government agencies.

Since there must be humor found in everything, I would point to the late, great Sam Kinison's comic piece aptly entitled, "The Homeless." You can probably google and download it. The moral of his story and message to the homeless is "Get a job, or <deleted> somebody who has a job." But I guess that is what some of them are doing.

[enuff said]

.

Pattaya next fer God's sake.

enuff said

~

[chainarong]

If you can have cycle ways across the country, you don't have beggars on the streets , because the fact is you have a affluent society , as Thailand is not a affluent society and has more poor than wealthy you can talk till the cows come home to convince me that you have any intention to help, let alone look after the child beggars which is the governments moral duty in a democratic government, see democracy comes in all shapes and sizes, like everything managed in Thailand the laws are made and lip service applied. Verdict: same same.

[loongdavid]

"The Social Development and Human Security Ministry"

Thailand, you just have to be kidding!

[BuddyPinkham]

"He has requested municipality officials, social workers, doctors, and NGOs to help provide aid to these homeless people and resolve the problem of human trafficking"??? So rather than the Ministry doing what needs to be done, they are asking other organizations to do it so they don't have to spend 1BT or do anything to help?

[Dumbfounded]

If you are a foreign beggar and the thai government will deport you to your country of residence/origin, who actually pays for the air ticket?

Also, will the country receiving the deported beggar have any say in regards to allowing them back in?

(the movie starring Tom Hanks stuck at the airport comes to mind, cant remember the name of it though)

And if the answer to my first question is the thai government will pay, then how many farangs will just piss up all their money then beg on the streets to get arrested and deported back home?

[ATF]

If the Police fine people when they give money to beggars I am sure this will solve the problem

[namdocmai]

Because of the farang beggars we now have to deal with stricter visa-rules here in W-europe. Thanks a lot!

Why the Western embassy's don't send those beggars home? The Police can bring them to the embassy of their nations so they can be put on a plane.

[JOC]

If the Police fine people when they give money to beggars I am sure this will solve the problem

They are doing that already!! People trying to give money to the police-beggars are fined!! And the beggars are rewarded, if they turn down a too small contribution!!

[Lupatria]

"He has requested municipality officials, social workers, doctors, and NGOs to help provide aid to these homeless people and resolve the problem of human trafficking"??? So rather than the Ministry doing what needs to be done, they are asking other organizations to do it so they don't have to spend 1BT or do anything to help?

They may as well adopt the Vietnamese system:

“We are not without accomplishment. We have managed to distribute poverty equally.” – Nguen Co Thatch, Vietnamese Foreign Minister.

[MarkCyr]

Yes on deporting foreign beggers, and yes on providing education and better opportunities for those Thais who are legitimately living on the streets due to poverty.

OK, so that's 5% of the Thai beggars gone. Now eliminate the mafia forces who pay women for their children to hand over to "mothers" on the streets, or shuttle around that legless guy who pulls himself around Sukhumvit...then a half our later shows up in Silom. That will get rid of the other 95%.

[biggles45]

And those responsible for enforcement will ignore the rules, just like with so many other laws. Nothing will change, except when they have a publicity drive with lots of photos to show what a great job they are doing.

[ableguy]

410 Thai beggars and 323 foreign beggars does sound like a huge amount for a city of over 6 million people. The number of foreigner beggars does bother me. Why are they not deported or at least turned over to their government to be responsible for them.

Do you think for one minute someone counted them ? Just more hot air.