Vichit (surname withheld) may not have ended up homeless due to covid-19, but with Pattaya’s hotel industry crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, the former hotel security guard predicted other industry workers will.
The homeless man found Jan. 13 leaning against a temple wall in central Pattaya, a stray dog his only companion, has been living rough for a while. He long ago lost his government identification card, and his view of reality is a bit different than working folks. But he’s still clear-eyed enough to bemoan what he sees happening to Pattaya as a result of disease-control restrictions and recession.
Vichit said he sees many more homeless people now as a direct result of last year’s shutdown and the current crisis. Some, he said, are sniffing glue or drinking themselves silly with cheap whiskey, becoming public nuisances. He said he does neither and just tries to survive peacefully on the streets.
Pattaya has made efforts to control the growing homeless population, occasionally rounding up vagrants and taking them to shelters in Rong Poh or Chonburi. But Vichit says many don’t like the confinement and escape, only to return to begging on Pattaya’s streets.
Vichit said he, too, depends on food handouts, either from people who see him on the street and feed him or through organized donations. He tried to find a new job but couldn’t get hired without an ID card. Now, with Pattaya’s virtual lockdown and hotels closed, he has given up.
He said once Pattaya’s tourism industry recovers he will try again to find a guard job.
