Bangkok: Street beggar removal on its 3rd day

[webfact]

Street beggar removal on its 3rd day

BANGKOK, 28 January 2015 (NNT)- The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security will take to the street for the third time to take beggars off the streets.

According to Ministry of Social Development and Human Security Spokesperson Anusan Theingthong, 431 beggars were found on the streets of Bangkok during the first two cleanup operations, which took place place in October and November last year.

190 of those picked up were Thais and the remaining 241 were foreigners. The Thai beggars will receive health and mental checks before they are sent to a rehab center or a homeless shelter. The rest, all foreign nationals, will be subjected to immigration law.

The Ministry is now on the 3rd day of its 3rd operation, which will end on January 30th. It is also working with the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Interior, the Office of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and the Ministry of Public Health.

The Ministry is using a 3-point approach in dealing with the street beggars. A committee would be set up in every province to help victims of human trafficking.

They would also be encouraged to look for jobs and people would be asked not to give money to beggars.


-- NNT 2015-01-28

[rabid old goat]

thanks for the warning. i'll stay inside till next month.

[ColdSingha]

is this like the prostitute removal from pattaya beach road every week?

[steven100]

' and people would be asked not to give money to beggars.'

I gave 10 baht last week .... can I go back and ask for a refund ?

[alantheembalmer]

I have always believed that the giving of alms to beggars is up to the conscience of the giver.

[Brian Robson]

Most of the beggars are in the clutches of mafia gangs who drop them off and pick them up each day skimming their earnings

[wow64]

No bigger issues to look into.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BKK is a big place, and it doesn't say what areas they're targeted with these supposed sweeps.

But around lower Sukhumvit today, it seemed that all my regular and familiar beggars were right where they normally are.

I didn't find any missing in my neighborhood!

[RT555]

Was wondering, I had seen 4-5 homeless this morning which I had never seen before. I thought I had seen plenty of the same ones, looked like they were on the run moving quickly.

[balo]

So the white guy who's been asking for money for a flight back home for the last 5 years is now in detention ? The local cops will lose a small fortune now.

[humqdpf]

Most of the beggars are in the clutches of mafia gangs who drop them off and pick them up each day skimming their earnings

And no prizes for guessing who the mafia gangs pay off, which is why the system has been running so long. It will indeed be interesting to see whether those street beggars begin to filter back once the army takes it foot off the pedal and focusses on something else.

[geisha]

Hey, a bit of compassion is called for. I always remember an old lady living on the streets in Phuket and eating from bins. How awful is a life like that to bear ?

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Many of these 240 foreigners are most likely little Cambodian children sold into the slave trade as they garner more sympathy from people than a puppy.

It breaks my heart and sickens me to watch these old hags on the sidewalk forcing some young kids and babies to help beg for them. The same old hag will have a whole new batch of kids within a few months.

The police are again responsible for letting this go on and probably profit from it like they do from everything else on every street that they sell.

Everything that can be done to put an end to the selling and exploitation of children should be done and will have my support.

We finally got them to stop with the elephants on the streets of Bkk. Let's put some effort and focus on the children now.

[gchurch259]

I for one will be glad to see them go, Thailand is not the worst, India drives you crazy because they will not take no !! You have to get another India Citizen to tell them to bug off.

Is hard to feel to bad when you see the TV story about a guy who crawls in the woods looking for Mushrooms for a living.

For the true unfortunate they Government should teach them a skill or way to make a living. For most it is easier than working. Help, in the USA we have welfare people living off the working people. Glad Thailand does not have a similar system.

Me, I help those who help themselves, I have helped four young Thailand children through college to give them a start.

Not counting my Step-son, soon to be an Electrical Engineer.

[BKKdreaming]

does the Army respect the "beggers mafia"

it seems that the Army needs to push its power and work on all the "mafias"

By doing that you will get rid of a lot of Thailands problems......

La dee Da dee da........yes I like to dream of a better Thailand

[Ducking and]

This is a big issue. The sort of tourists we want here find the beggars upsetting and the whole sordid business, if they become aware of it, a bad reflection upon this lovely country. Good to see that, again, this government is trying to do something positive to make things better for everyone. Leaders often are not successful, but that is no reason to be churlish and disrespectful to the current powers that be.

[scubascuba3]

"The Thai beggars will receive health and mental checks before they are sent to a rehab center or a homeless shelter"

-- NNT 2015-01-28

Somehow I don't belive this

[bkkjames]

Just wondering how the wheel clamping and motorcycles on footpaths crackdown is coming along? I would rather have to walk around a begger than dodge motorbikes on the sidewalk.