Homeless people on Pattaya Beach have become such a common sight, tourists don’t even appear surprised anymore.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t a blight on the city’s image.
City officials talk endlessly about support for the disabled, the poor and the elderly, but no mention ever gets made of the homeless, except when police make one of their showy – and completely ineffective – beachfront sweeps.
The city administration only seem concerned with the homeless before a high-profile concert or other event. If they’re not being caught on camera, the homeless don’t seem to be a concern.
Perhaps some of the tens of millions of baht wasted on junked electronic tourist kiosks or disabled traffic lights should be put toward services to get the homeless off the streets and keep them off.
