BANGKOK, 7 April 2015 – The Metropolitan Police have recently arrested 101 panhandlers in Bangkok, in accordance with the government policy to address human trafficking as a national agenda.
Police General Siwara Rangsiphraphamonkun, Metropolitan Police commissioner, disclosed on Monday that of the 101 persons arrested, 78 were Thai and 23 were foreigners. Those apprehended were categorized into three groups, namely those who played music on loudspeakers to beg for money, those who begged for money using physical deformities, and those who were mentally ill.
According to the police, interrogators will profile the panhandlers, all of whom will be prosecuted in accordance with the 1941 law on the control of beggars. Thais will be sent to the homeless shelter in Thanyaburi district of Pathum Thani, which is run by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. The foreign beggars arrested will also be prosecuted for illegal entry and will be expelled from Thailand.
