Begging to differ: Bangkok busts 23 Jordanian beggars in Nana crackdown after Soi Sukhumvit 4 complaints
Immigration Bureau officers arrested 23 Jordanian beggars at a hotel in the Nana neighbourhood of Bangkok yesterday following complaints from business owners on Soi Sukhumvit 4 near Nana Plaza.
Business owners near Nana Plaza shared videos of foreign beggars from a Middle Eastern country causing a public nuisance in the area on several social media platforms last week. They urged the relevant authorities to take action against the beggars, saying their begging was affecting their businesses.
The shopkeepers said that the foreign beggars were constantly demanding money from shop owners and customers, causing some patrons to leave the shop because of the nuisance. They begged for money in a group that included children and infants.
The Immigration Bureau investigated further and questioned people in the area until they found out that the foreign beggars were from Jordan. They were staying in a hotel in the area and were divided into small groups when they went begging. They even carried a child with them as they begged for attention and sympathy.
Officers reported that the Jordanian beggars followed people, especially those from Middle Eastern countries like themselves. Sometimes they would wait for people at ATMs to get their money.
If they got less than 100 baht they would keep following the person until they got at least 500 to 1,000 baht. Even if the first group of beggars stopped following the victims, another group would come forward and do the same.
Beggars banned and deported
Immigration police raided the hotel where they were staying yesterday, November 27, and arrested 23 Jordanian beggars, including seven adults and 16 children. They entered Thailand on tourist visas about two months ago, most of them for the first time.
Immigration Deputy Commissioner Pantana Nutchanart said none of the Jordanian beggars had a criminal record. He suggested that a lack of money after travelling around the country was the motive for their begging.
According to Pantana, they will all be detained while they await their banning order and deportation from Thailand. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security would take care of the 16 children during their detention.
Pantana insisted that the Jordanian beggars were not involved with the Chinese begging group and that their begging was not an imitation of the Chinese nationals.
Pantana also gave an update on the case of the Chinese beggars, saying that they would all be deported and included on a blacklist. However, officials could not charge them with human trafficking because most of them received wounds from China and insisted that they were willing to beg in Thailand.
ORIGINAL STORY: Begging for change: Bangkok business plea as Middle Eastern beggars disrupt Soi 4 harmony
Business operators urged the Thai police to arrest nearly 30 foreign beggars from Middle Eastern countries who have been begging and causing a public nuisance in Soi Sukhumvit 4 near Nana Plaza in Bangkok for the past two months.
Bangkok is home to not only rich Chinese beggars but also scroungers and vagrants from the Middle East region. Business owners near Nana called on Channel 7 to bring the issue to the public’s attention so that the police could take serious action. They have lodged complaints multiple times, but no action has been taken.
Shopkeepers and restaurant owners in Soi Nana reported that foreign beggars have been soliciting in the area for over two months. Posing as customers, they enter every shop and demand money from real customers.
Some shopkeepers have noted that the foreign beggars also demand money from them, causing annoyance and adversely affecting their business. The persistent actions of these beggars have led some customers to leave the establishments due to disruptive behaviour.
The begging gang reportedly has at least 30 members and they often come to beg in families, with their children. Locals questioned how the group could stay in Thailand for so long and what kind of visas they had.
Channel 7 showed a video of a foreign woman trying to close the door to prevent the foreign beggar from entering. The woman told the beggar to leave and stay away from her shop.
Another video showed a beggar’s family gathering in Soi 4 near Nana Plaza and making a lot of noise. The Thai netizen who shared the video claimed that two groups of foreign beggars fought over begging spots.
Other netizens stated in the comment session that they saw these foreign beggars at shopping malls like Terminal 21 and Siam Paragon as well.
In the latest update on the arrest of Chinese beggars, Thai PBS reported that officers managed to arrest seven of them and fined them between 100 and 500 baht each. The media reported that all the Chinese beggars had entered Thailand legally during the free visa campaign. They were later deported and banned from entering Thailand for 10 years.
According to police, three other Chinese beggars are still at large. Officers are looking for them and the other suspects behind the operation.
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