Street Beggars

[STEALTH K3]

I have noticed why do the street beggers only hassle the farang and tourist's is this because the Thai's will tell them to "sling there hook".

[atlastaname]

Actually whenever i have been in Bangkok i find they hassle anyone . Often the Thais ignore them , as do the foreigners, but sometimes i have seen them give . Sometimes the foreigners give too, but i always get the impression its grudgingly , never with respect. Then again when you are being hassled for the hundreth time that hour , it does grate on the nerves.

What i can't understand is why foreigners always complain about them and try to elevate it into a scandal. This is Thailand and thats what happens. Leave it be .

[Totster]

There are about 4 or 5 regular beggars sitting on the streets of Cheltenham everyday.. so it's not just a Thai thing..

totster

[sriracha john]

can we have a definition of the term, "hassle"?

most begging I encounter involves, at most, a raised hand from a sitting position, which, if ignored... results in nothing else.

[james512]

Thais seem to be a bit of a soft touch when it comes to beggars. I've seen loads of 'em give to beggars while the majority of tourists just walk on by.

[The Skipper]

They are placed out there by the begging mafia.

Punks own the sidewalks(along with the cops) and force these people to "work".

Where do they find these "employees"?

Filthy people with grotesque injuries, their faces burned off, or puss covered stubbs, pitifull to look at.

You think you are helping by giving them money?

A small percentage of the earnings they get to keep. The rest goes into some thugs pocket for beer money. So all the money that is collected for charity actually supports criminal gangs.

Hardly any goes to the needy.

THAT SUCKS!!!..and those punks running this operation should be squashed, eliminated from society.

Taking advantage of these people is the lowest of the low.

I don't appreciate how they place them in pinch points on sidewalks, forcing me to get close or step over their oozing wounds.

Disgusted!

[sriracha john]

A grossly inappropriate over-reaction:

Street Beggar stabbed in the stomach as he demands cash

Police from Pattaya were called to Soi Beokeow on Tuesday afternoon to investigate reports of a stabbing which had just taken place. The victim, Khun Somboon aged 42 had already been taken to hospital where medical staff treated a single knife wound to his abdomen. The alleged attacker, Khun Lek aged 50 was detained by Police at the scene. He was happy to admit to the attack and claimed that the victim had persistently demanded money from the alleged attacker on many occasions. On this occasion Khun Lek decided to send a clear message to the victim to avoid him asking for money again. Khun Lek has been charged with attempted murder and will now face a judge who will decide his fate.

- PCN on 2006/09/05

Edited September 7, 2006 by sriracha john

[petecooper]

They are placed out there by the begging mafia.

Punks own the sidewalks(along with the cops) and force these people to "work".

I'd heard something about that, it's really true then?

That does put one in a bit of a moral quandry, I have always made a habit of giving 20B to at least one beggar a day (I walk past several on my way home); thought I was making a slight improvement in a person's life by sharing my own good fortune even in that meagre way.

I'd be interested in others' opinions of how you resolve this conflict... I've heard it said not to give to beggars because "it encourages them", however, I've noticed that NOT giving to them doesn't make them go away, either.

Thoughts peoples?

[OlRedEyes]

What i can't understand is why foreigners always complain about them and try to elevate it into a scandal. This is Thailand and thats what happens. Leave it be .

Actually, my impression is that Thailand have relatively few beggars. Ppl are more likely here to try some scam or something than beg. Just my impression.

[The Skipper]

Ppl are more likely here to try some scam or something than beg. Just my impression.

It's the begging SCAM. You nailed it.

The money doesn't get to the poor.

Got it?

[Donz]

Ppl are more likely here to try some scam or something than beg. Just my impression.

It's the begging SCAM. You nailed it.

The money doesn't get to the poor.

Got it?

Dp upi actually know this or just having a guess?

[leisurely]

I regularly give to a woman with a child outside Prom Phong station. She seems to have an aura of dignity about her, that is an odd thing to say, but I feel it is true. As well as money, I take her fruit which she seems to be pleased about.

[jdinasia]

Some are placed by scammers some are not ... The Thai folks seem to have a good handle on which are which ... I tend to follow their lead and give to those I see Thai people giving to.

I know that where I lived near Onnut that the 2 old people I would see out at the end of the month were locals in need.

[Ulysses G.]

He was happy to admit to the attack and claimed that the victim had persistently demanded money from the alleged attacker on many occasions.

Can't say that I blame him.

[kevc]

I have noticed why do the street beggers only hassle the farang and tourist's is this because the Thai's will tell them to "sling there hook".

The funniest thing I've seen with the street beggar kids was in Nana Plaza, girl came up to a German guy and he said 'no I not give you money I buy you some food' and took her across the road to a BBQ stall where she proceeded to place around 300 baht of food on the barbi before he could stop her.

[The Skipper]

I regularly give to a woman with a child outside Prom Phong station. She seems to have an aura of dignity about her, that is an odd thing to say, but I feel it is true. As well as money, I take her fruit which she seems to be pleased about.

Prom Phong is PRIME TURF. No legit beggar would be allowed near the place.

If they can't locate enough leppers they resort to ladies with kids.

The kid might not even be theirs, the dirtier the better the handlers tell them.

Roll them around in the gutter a few times first.

It's nice to help the poor, I believe strongly in that but giving to these people placed all over the sidewalk is not helping poor.

It helping some lazy thugs, exploiting some really sad people.

[terry57]

i try and give to the beggars as you never know what life has in store for you.

many good people down on there luck have ended up on the street.

its phycological for me as when i see the poor old ladies i think of my mother and how it could of been her.

its nothing to me this small amount of money.

how do us punters know if the mafia will get it ?

if we dont give, the poor beggars would suffer more.

please keep giving people.

cheers

[steveromagnino]

i try and give to the beggars as you never know what life has in store for you.

Given that it is a scam, if everyone stopped giving, then they wouldn't hang out there, and would go do something somewhere else.

Plenty of jobs most of them could do with no legs. Some jobs for those with no arms.

Sad, but true.

Expecially bad to give to the ones with kids; the kid should be in school.

Definitely a mafia business, and we try to manage and remove the ppl in our district when they are around. We got rid of the farang beggar with the sign as well. Cheeky sod.

If you MUST give something, then buy some fruit, some water or something healthy, and give them that.

But keep in mind you are making yourself feel better at the expense of the beggar because the more they get given, the more they will hang out there.

If you want to see lots of beggars and homeless, LA around Santa Monica has the most in one place i've ever seen - even more than Cambodia. Scary people too.

[Brother_Tony]

Yes, most beggars are controlled by street thugs who make a profit off of them. I have talked with many beggars; and from what I have learned, if they do not make 400 baht a day, they cannot eat when they go to wherever it is that they stay as most of the street thugs provide housing for them. Most street beggars, especially those who are not able to leave the corner they are working, desire water or drinks more than money. And if you feed them a meal, they will not have to worry about making the 400 baht quota.

The other beggars who are not working for a local gang are usually drug addicts or alcoholics. No matter how you judge an addict, most of them do not eat as they are so addicted to drugs; and people need to eat no matter who they are. So, if you buy them a meal, they are grateful as well; and it helps to sober them up a bit. Plus, if you eat a meal with them, you may be able to help them in encouraging them to overcome their addiction. Or at least, you give them some hope that somebody cares for them and would spend a few minutes to encourage them that there is hope for them to overcome their addiction.

Being that a meal costs under 40 baht in Thailand, and there are street stalls everywhere, if you have a desire to help someone, this is the route to go. And being that there are 7-11's all over the place, you can always spend 20 baht for a fruit drink or 10 baht for a bottle of water. If we all would make a practice of doing this and not giving them cash, we would really discourage the street thugs that we are all against. Therefore, we would be able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: we would actually help somebody and make their day, and we would anger the street thugs who would lose their profit. God bless you for being concerned for the poor.

[Heng]

Giving money to beggars only teaches them that it's okay NOT to work. It also insults those that ARE willing to work for 180-250 Baht a day in factories and construction sites all over the country.

[phibunmike]

Some are placed by scammers some are not ... The Thai folks seem to have a good handle on which are which ... I tend to follow their lead and give to those I see Thai people giving to.

I know that where I lived near Onnut that the 2 old people I would see out at the end of the month were locals in need.

I think you hit the nail on the head JD. I trust my wife's judgement on this: she sees me reaching into my pocket and says "no, not that one", but a bit further on she will happily give to someone else.

Last month she brought a begging family home, and gave them a meal and some old clothes before they left. But sometimes she won't give 20 baht to another beggar; "buy whiskey" she says...

[petecooper]

Most street beggars, especially those who are not able to leave the corner they are working, desire water or drinks more than money. And if you feed them a meal, they will not have to worry about making the 400 baht quota.

Being that a meal costs under 40 baht in Thailand, and there are street stalls everywhere, if you have a desire to help someone, this is the route to go. And being that there are 7-11's all over the place, you can always spend 20 baht for a fruit drink or 10 baht for a bottle of water. If we all would make a practice of doing this and not giving them cash, we would really discourage the street thugs that we are all against. Therefore, we would be able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: we would actually help somebody and make their day, and we would anger the street thugs who would lose their profit.

Thanks Brother_Tony, that is good advice. A bottle of water and a piece of fruit or something else to eat is probably what they need the most, and makes sure that our help goes to the person for whom it's intended.

[t.s]

Yes, most beggars are controlled by street thugs who make a profit off of them. I have talked with many beggars; and from what I have learned, if they do not make 400 baht a day, they cannot eat when they go to wherever it is that they stay as most of the street thugs provide housing for them. Most street beggars, especially those who are not able to leave the corner they are working, desire water or drinks more than money. And if you feed them a meal, they will not have to worry about making the 400 baht quota.

The other beggars who are not working for a local gang are usually drug addicts or alcoholics. No matter how you judge an addict, most of them do not eat as they are so addicted to drugs; and people need to eat no matter who they are. So, if you buy them a meal, they are grateful as well; and it helps to sober them up a bit. Plus, if you eat a meal with them, you may be able to help them in encouraging them to overcome their addiction. Or at least, you give them some hope that somebody cares for them and would spend a few minutes to encourage them that there is hope for them to overcome their addiction.

Being that a meal costs under 40 baht in Thailand, and there are street stalls everywhere, if you have a desire to help someone, this is the route to go. And being that there are 7-11's all over the place, you can always spend 20 baht for a fruit drink or 10 baht for a bottle of water. If we all would make a practice of doing this and not giving them cash, we would really discourage the street thugs that we are all against. Therefore, we would be able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: we would actually help somebody and make their day, and we would anger the street thugs who would lose their profit. God bless you for being concerned for the poor.

i like your rationale

[kevc]

I'd heard something about that, it's really true then?

That does put one in a bit of a moral quandry, I have always made a habit of giving 20B to at least one beggar a day (I walk past several on my way home); thought I was making a slight improvement in a person's life by sharing my own good fortune even in that meagre way.

I'd be interested in others' opinions of how you resolve this conflict... I've heard it said not to give to beggars because "it encourages them", however, I've noticed that NOT giving to them doesn't make them go away, either.

Thoughts peoples?

Heard that most of the kids are from Cambodia,which is probably true when you see them at the border crossings, if you talk to them a lot speak better English than your average Thai. There was a Thai movie on TV about a couple of months ago about a group of kids kept in a house by a gang who were sent out on the streets to sell flowers everyday, cops would arrest them and send them to a home for a while then let them out after a month or so only for the gang to pick them up again, only a movie but true to life. I don't know what the answer is but I do know giving them money isn't it.Going off on a tangent but I remember watching a documentary in the UK about child labour ,the agents go to a village and buy a child from the parents for a year to supposedly work in a factory, this one girl told the story how her father sold her to work in a factory for a year and then found out they had put her to work as a prostitute, so what does he do go and bring her back home? no he asked for more money.

[terry57]

i try and give to the beggars as you never know what life has in store for you.

Given that it is a scam, if everyone stopped giving, then they wouldn't hang out there, and would go do something somewhere else.

Plenty of jobs most of them could do with no legs. Some jobs for those with no arms.

Sad, but true.

Expecially bad to give to the ones with kids; the kid should be in school.

Definitely a mafia business, and we try to manage and remove the ppl in our district when they are around. We got rid of the farang beggar with the sign as well. Cheeky sod.

If you MUST give something, then buy some fruit, some water or something healthy, and give them that.

But keep in mind you are making yourself feel better at the expense of the beggar because the more they get given, the more they will hang out there.

If you want to see lots of beggars and homeless, LA around Santa Monica has the most in one place i've ever seen - even more than Cambodia. Scary people too.

yes this is true concerning the U.S.A. as i have seen it first hand.

some of these guys looked like they wanted to kill you. very scary situation sometimes.

san francisco, white and black living in card board box's on the foot path

ex vietnam vets that have lost the plot, head cases kicked out of the nut house,

many being psychotic.

what is the real scary part, there's some normal punters who have hit rock bottom.

no social security left and no medical insurance so people die on the street.

this is the reality of the U.S.A., the world leaders.

load of old bollicks i say.

george bush certainly has a front bottom.

i have been to all asian countrys except myanmar and have seen it all.

india gets top points for the worst poverty, hands down not a problem.

so im sorry my friend, but the beggars have got me psychologically trapped and i feel compelled to give to them.

even if the mafia get half they do get something.

anyway fella,

you say that you move them on and i can quite understand that.

but could you possibly offer up a real solution to help these people in some way besides giving food which by the way is a very good idea.

to move them on is fair enough but the poor beggars are still living in poverty.

thanks friend.

cheers

[bkkmadness]

There are about 4 or 5 regular beggars sitting on the streets of Cheltenham everyday.. so it's not just a Thai thing..

totster

You might make some money if you stop pulling out the laptop to post on TV.

[terry57]

There are about 4 or 5 regular beggars sitting on the streets of Cheltenham everyday.. so it's not just a Thai thing..

totster

You might make some money if you stop pulling out the laptop to post on TV.

yes, thats a top idea maddy,

and 20 points to you my friend.

we will tell tottles to go down to panthip plaza and by some extension leads for his lap top.

ok then,

of you go tots and get the bleeding cables will you.

cheers mate

[keda]

kevc:

Had the same with 2 of them in soi 7 opposite the Beergarden, went to the loo, returned to smug looks, then sat and watched as 400 baht of food arrived.

Never again.

keda

Edited September 7, 2006 by keda

[steveromagnino]

but could you possibly offer up a real solution to help these people in some way besides giving food which by the way is a very good idea.

to move them on is fair enough but the poor beggars are still living in poverty.

thanks friend.

Well we do some major fundraising each year and they have supported the projects i did over the last 3 years raising about 5m baht for underpriveleged Thais. So I guess that is about all we can do.

For the beggars themselves, the solution is quite complex. Not sure what to do. Although I will go and give some food to the woman who has lost her way with the nice dog on a lead who I see outside Central Chitlom which is walking distance from here. See her quite often, and she isn't begging, just looks like she has lost her way in a non scary way.

Cheers cobber

[keda]

On a recent trip to India I greedily ordered the 2nd mango whilst still eating the first, and then found that I couldn't finish it, so I turned to give the remaining half to the first of several beggarkids watching and waiting nearby.

The stallholder shouted something at them that caused them to withdraw as he lurched at me, took the fruit from my hand and tossed it into his garbage box. Then he smiled at me, and said it is better to throw away the mango than give it to these 'bad street children'.

Sad but true.

keda