Do you give to beggars?

[margaretcarnes]

I'm with VS on this. People with disabilities in LOS usually have no safety net of welfare. Unless they are cared for by family, or lucky enough to live somewhere where there is a Centre for making craft items for example, there seems to be very little support.
There used to be a limbless guy in Pattaya who dragged himself around lying on a kind of skate board affair. It's a pitiful way for people to live IMO.
But - and it's a big but - it's worth remembering there are people everywhere who choose to live rough, disabled or not. They aren't all necessarily beggars either. I've met rough sleepers in the UK who don't ask for anything except their weekly benefit cheque, if that. Which is maybe just as well these days as hostels here often run at full capacity.
HuaHin, and LOS in general, is no worse than anywhere else except for it's lack of Government support, and that's probably more to do with culture and 'Buddhas will' than anything else.
Organised 'begging' in the form of child flower sellers is a different matter altogether. Like Lomu I tried to control it in my bars and, like him, I failed. It's a business, and until tourists realise that it will continue.

[HuntingTigers]

Mrs BB will sometimes give to somebody who is very old, and looks unable to work.

If the person looks as if they have even a minutes worth of work in them, all she'll give them is a mouthful of abuse in Thai. When I've asked what she said, she says her husband has to work, why can't they?

This is interesting. When I was in Chumphon with my English friend and his Thai GF, I remarked how there were very few beggars here as compared to England.

Friend's Thai GF responds by saying it is because Thai people are too proud to beg, would rather work instead. As chance would have it we turned the corner and there was a beggar on the pavement. After we had passed the beggar I remarked, "well there's one beggar", only to get the rebuke from friend's Thai GF, "she was Vietnamese - not Thai".

A couple of days later a similar situation arose. There was a beggar on the sidewalk - the friend's GF went ballistic. I didn't know at the time what was being said but I could gather by the tone and volume this was not a friendly exchange. Afterwards, Thai GF explains. She told the beggar woman if she could walk to here she could walk to work, she was a disgrace to Thai people. The story now moves on to O'Neils bar in Hua Hin.

The three of us are sat outside at one of the high chair tables, [never a good idea in my opinion - too far to fall when well mellow]. This Thai woman appears with a blind guy in tow rattling his cup for money. My English mate turns to me and says, "don't give anything, it's a scam - and anyway once you give one word'll get round and we'll be pestered all night".

Blow me down, friend's Thai GF gives the blind guy some small change. GF explains it is because they are genuinely deserving, my friend says it's a scam, 6 months ago it was the woman who was blind and he was leading her. They then start to argue who is right.

From what I've gleaned on this topic here on HHAD I think , on balance, my friend is right - don't give. HT.

[PeteC]

Your mate's Thai GF is in denial. There are plenty of Thai born and raised beggars here. Goes hand in hand with many issues here. If they don't want to see/admit a problem or if it makes them lose face, it doesn't exist. Pete

[chopsticks]

"There are none so blind as those who will not see"

[PeteC]

"There are none so blind as those who will not see"

Prophylactic to be sure CS. Pete

[HuntingTigers]

Your mate's Thai GF is in denial. There are plenty of Thai born and raised beggars here. Goes hand in hand with many issues here. If they don't want to see/admit a problem or if it makes them lose face, it doesn't exist. Pete

I think you have hit the nail on the head there prcscct but you will no doubt understand my bewilderment when confronted with this situation. I did not wish to embarass my hosts as I appreciate loss of face is considered a serious matter.

I am new to Thai culture. I have experience of dealing with Hong Kong Chinese and sometimes it is like treading on egg shells so as not to cause offence. Please bear in mind prcscct, "I am a stranger in a foreign land", so my actions tend towards circumspection and caution.

It struck me that that my friend's GF was refusing to recognise a situation which seemed self evident to me - but, I am approaching this scenario from a European centric disposition.

This thread is concerned with 'Do you give to beggars?'. My vote was NO. The thread was not a discussion about the self delusion or or otherwise of Thais as to the existence of begging in their society. HT.

[PeteC]

Threads tend to drift HT, especially those that have been running for awhile. Nothing wrong with that as long as the subject stays remotely related to the topic. When someone starts to talk about cufflinks on a Thai food thread though, the Mods usually step in. Pete

[kendo]

We arrived in town on wednesday evening booked in at Jings, quick shower and out for a few drinks and stretch our legs.
Now we where suprised at the number of people out around the Binta block, it did not take long for the peddlers to start approaching us and even border line pestering us some of these very young children would approach you in one bar and half an hour later again in another bar and when you say "mai krup" they get quite angry it makes me wonder how much presure these kids get put under.
The one armed lady was out with her little posse of kids and i belive she does allright out of it.
I feel sorry for the Hamong hill tribe people that sale those wooden frogs and colourfull hats because as talked about from another thread these people are persicuted and have been subject to massive human rights abuses, and i dont think i have ever seen them make a sale, thay must make very small amount of money.

Kendo.

[margaretcarnes]

The 'one armed lady' has been around in HH since time began. Well - for at least 10 years anyway! And at first she did appear to be on her own. Since then she's no doubt expanded, as needs must. But to be honest I've never seen her with kids in tow, or noticed anything to suggest that she is running a gang.
Maybe she is too canny. Last time I saw her was a year ago in ChaAm. Again on her own. She has always been very polite to me, and never a problem. Maybe because we go back a while, and she understood my ground rules. Whatever she might be doing now though with regard to kids, I hope she has the sense to treat them decently. Many don't.

[hhfarang]

Was out for dinner on Soi 94 last night. The one armed lady appeared asking for a handout, followed (within 5 or 10 minutes) by two kids (separately) making rounds trying to sell flowers. Don't know if they were with her or not but seemed to be following pretty close behind.

[richard]

Never had any problems with her. She walks miles and my last encounter was in Luk Nam disco

Always used to give but the wife stopped me by saying she had more money in the bank than I did. So what? Good luck to her and I echo Mags sentiments. If she does have a trail of kids following her, lets hope she is treating them right.

We all know they should be in bed and off to school but if you are poverty stricken what else is going to put food on the table (floor)?

[richard]

ps

I dont keep too much money in the bank here

[dtyolmn]

I usua;;y donate to disabled people and or a Mother who is begging with one or two children and they look very dirty and really down. I know I might be getting scammed but a child just cuts through my heart.

[nevets]

Going back a while now i read on this forum i think ,that the one armed lady tried to blackmale some one that she new was married ,coming out of Loliters.

[petesie]

I dont usually give to the able bodied ones and don't detest the disabled for making the most of an opportunity......

However the skinny lady with the small baby has my baht every time.........

I do wish the ex-wife would stop following me round......