Pattaya crackdown reveals foreigners living illegally amid beggar population
A crackdown by the Pattaya authorities to clear the city’s vibrant tourist hotspot of beggars unearthed a surprising amount of illegal foreigners residing within the country.
Wutthisak Ruemkijjakarn, the deputy mayor of Pattaya, revealed that the city crackdown took place on Wednesday evening under the watchful eye of numerous authorities. This included officials from Chon Buri’s Social Development and Human Security Office, Pattaya’s local police, Provincial Police Region 2, and representatives from the Immigration Bureau.
The Pattaya crackdown raids targeted numerous beggar locations. One such location was the iconic Pattaya Walking Street, where officials apprehended two individuals as part of the operation, according to Wutthisak, who also highlighted the notable recent increase in beggars around the city.
The Pattaya crackdown authorities’ net spread far and wide, reaching a location known as Soi Buakhao, where they encountered a 42 year old Vietnamese woman. Accompanied by a seven year old girl, this woman had been attempting to sell flowers to tourists. She revealed to the officers that this had been her routine for the past five months and that her evening earnings ranged from 300 to 500 baht, Bangkok Post reported.
Meanwhile, in South Pattaya, similar scenes unfolded as law enforcement officials collected beggars from the beach area, who were seen asking unsuspecting tourists for money. Among them was a 34 year old homeless woman from Cambodia found alongside her five month old daughter in front of Wat Chai Mongkhon.
Earlier this month, specifically on June 10, the police chief of Pattaya, Thanapong Pothi, spearheaded an extensive raid aimed at apprehending individuals culpable of child exploitation in the form of forced begging or selling of products within the city.
During this mission, a 33 year old woman, also from Cambodia, was found living in a tiny single-room apartment with three children. She confessed to officials that she had crossed the Thai border illegally seeking employment. Facing charges of child exploitation and unlawful entry, her case came to represent the wider issue at hand during this Pattaya crackdown operation.
