Thailand steps up crackdown on Bangkok beggars’ lucrative practice

Bangkok will conduct regular blitzes to arrest alms seekers, deport arrested foreigners and help locals find employment to deter them from begging

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A blind singer performs in front of a skytrain station in Bangkok. Under Thai laws, begging can be punished by up to one-month imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:11pm, 12 Jun 2024Updated: 6:11pm, 12 Jun 2024

Thailand has intensified its crackdown on beggars swarming the capital’s streets and other holiday hotspots, urging tourists and locals not to give cash to people who officials say earn about 100,000 baht (US$2,726) a month, highlighting the challenges in making them give up the lucrative practice.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said on Tuesday a multi-agency enforcement blitz involving police and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would be conducted regularly to arrest alms seekers.

Varawut said foreigners swept up in the raids would be deported to their countries while locals head to state-run shelters where they receive vocational training to help them find work.

But the minister acknowledged that the measures may not deter repeat offenders who managed to pocket more than the fines they had to pay.

Under Thai laws, begging can be punished by up to one-month imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.

A boy sleeps outside a 7-Eleven store near Siam Square in central Bangkok where he begs most evenings. Photo: Tibor Krausz

Varawut said the influx of travellers to the kingdom, a mainstay of its economy, also compounded the problem as more people resort to street begging that involves children and pets.