Along with Pattaya’s homeless problem, beggars continue to be a problem city officials can’t, or won’t, solve.
A stroll through South Pattaya Aug. 23 found a man panhandling with a mangled hand and a Cambodian woman with an 8-year-old child. When asked, she could not produce either identification or proof the girl was hers.
There was no sign of police or immigration officers, but an unidentified man in a motorcycle taxi vest took their photos and said he knows folks at Immigration.
In truth, trying to catch beggars and keep them off the streets is like playing a game of Whack-a-Mole: They duck out of sight when anyone in uniform arrives and pop up again somewhere else. Even when some are apprehended, they end up back on the street a short time later.
Many beggars – especially those with children – are trafficked and part of international gangs facilitated by corrupt Thais.
 |
 |
 |
