Crackdown on beggars soon

[shotover]

OCgringo said:

I also hope they get the well dressed older Indian guys

that hang out near the Landmark, not sure what they are trying to sell as I never stop long enough.......

 

When these clowns start with their spiel "Hello Sir, Today you are lucky man, you know why you are lucky man . . .", I'm thinking, I'll be a lucky man if Immigration nabs these leeches and sends them back to their Sikh homelands. I can tolerate the South Asian touts trying to corral me on the street to buy some suits as they are at least providing a legit service, but I have no tolerance for anyone trying to part me from my satang by calling me a lucky man, unless it is an Issan princess offering a very legit and useful service.

[shotover]

I wonder if the police sweep netted the tall, thin Cambodian woman who has taken up residence under the Asoke BTS station with the 2 small girls and occasional week-old puppies. I'm amazed at the length of time she has resided at this very visible locale.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Alholk and all,

 

Maybe 7 or 8 years ago I used to see this beggar shuffling around on the beach in Jomtien. A friend of mine once said he reminded him of a guy who worked at the airport we worked at who had been nicknamed 'Pieoobley' by another co-worker, so of course we started calling this guy Pieoobley2. We'd see him almost daily on Jomtien working the tourists. Saw him around for a couple years at least. He had a diagonal scar across his whole face which looked like someone had taken a machete to him once. Horrid looking scar.

 

One day we saw him at the beach in Jomtien late in the day. We left, went to our hotel and washed up and all and went back out to a favored beer bar in the complex on the corner of Second Road and Soi 2. While sitting there and chatting to a couple favorite bar mistresses we noticed Pieoobley2 on the street. The lass I was with spoke pretty decent English, and as I said to my friend, "Hey, there's Pieoobley2! How the hell did he get from Jomtien to Pattaya so quick? What'd he take a baht bus? Must have had a good day begging today." The girl looked at who we were talking about, pointed him out, and when we confirmed that was the dude we were yakking about and told her we see him begging on the beach in Jomtien every day she told us, "That man So-and-so (Somchai/whatever his name was-I ferget now) a rich man. He drive Benz. He have big house here in Pattaya. Have big-time baht he."

 

So like your 'blind' beggar ours was the same, with a Benz.

 

I changed my tactics with beggars after that. I give to no adults, and the kids begging I offer to buy some food or a glass of milk if they look under-fed and malnourished. Most say no and go away if they see I'll give no hard cash. A few have taken me up on the offer of a milk or a plate of fried rice.

 

Only see a couple beggars here in Surin, both at the daily night market. One, an old guy playing those funky wooden bamboo flutes, another a blind lady with a young kid who sings look thueng songs through a little portable amp and mic. I've given a couple times to both of them, usually a 5 or 10 baht coin. I don't mind as much when they are at least "singing for their supper" or doing something other than groveling and shaking their beggar's tin at me as I walk by.

 

What sort of cracked me up in this article is the comment about the beggars playing on the good-hearted Thais generous nature. I've rarely seen a Thai put money in a beggar's cup, or even look at or acknowledge that the beggar is even there before them, it's usually farang tourists I see giving something, especially on Suk. And to tell the truth, now that I think about it, the only Thais I've seen give to the beggars are usually a BG with her jai dee farang boyfriend in tow. ::

 

Cent

[Central Scrutinizer]

Suadum,

 

Thanks for the URL for Father Joe. I've book-marked it.

 

Cent

[dddave]

Cent,

Regarding Thais giving to beggars; my perception is just the opposite of yours. More often than not, it is a Thai, frequently a "working girl", that I see dropping coins into an unfortunate's cup.

 

I know there are scams and that money gets diverted, but that guy with no legs, pulling himself along the broiling Sukhumvit sidewalk is working harder for whatever it is that he gets than anybody I know, and if at the end of the day, he crawls into a BMW for his ride home, more power to him.

 

I've seen too many "charities" and NGO's with plush offices, their officials flying first class and driving around in Land Cruisers while on "fact finding missions" for their reports, delivered to empty seminar halls at five star resort confrence centers. They are the true scam artists.

 

David

[Guest]

I agree dddDave. Even here in PP, where they are often shooed away from the tourists, my staff regularly gives to them in front of the hotel.

 

Nor is this just a Budhist thing, I have both the scams and the locals giving alms in Muslem countries as well.

 

I guess that guilt and the desire to help those that you perceive are worse off than ones self, are universal attributes.

[Flashermac]

<< It's time to get those who run this business in jail for many years to come >>

 

 

Occasionally, the beggars are rounded up, such as when the then guv of Bangkok had them all shipped off whilst the APEC (or whatever) conference was here. But the folks behind the organised begging never get touched. It is much like Mr T's famous "war on drugs", in which many small time peddlars got whacked -- but not one big shot they worked for.

[Dude_Le_Rude]

in the Golden Triangle of Nana Cowboy and Patpong, it IS usually the bar gals who give to the beggers. For those wishing to make a more real contribution, Father Joe is the main man, has been for about 25 or 30 years or so...

 

I knew one Thai babe, married to an American, living in Japan like a queen, whenever she came home to bangkok, she was giving money out or buying everything in sight from disabled sellers... making merit. SHE still gives big loads of baht to Father Joe whenever in town.

 

there was supposed to be a big crackdown and removal of beggars prior to the last big ASEAN or whatever meeting... I still see the same familiar faces up and down the Suk.