Yep true story..........

DB: Since 6 months ago before I had work, now I have no work again. They changed visa so I have to go out again before January 4th, that's why I've come back again for getting money.

Interviewer: Yeah it's a 90 day visa now, you have to go in and go out, that's going to be a problem for you. What are you going to do, can't your embassy help?

DB: Before that (give help I guess he means) they see passport now I had been here one year taking money from money from the government of Holland I was taking money for being unemployed, I should be in Holland looking for a job, but I was here. If they see that...

Interviewer: Oh so you embassy wont help you. And you can't work now?

DB: No I stopped work. I had a job for 3 days in the week, 12 hours, only 12000 Baht a month.

Interviewer: Only 12000, but you can't get a teaching job for 25-30000 Baht a month?

DB: I was looking for that but they only gave me 12 hrs.

Interviewer: Ok, but there is quite a lot of English teaching work, through agencies?

DB: Yeah I was looking for that but everywhere I go, they say they call me, they call me, they take my resume, waiting, waiting.

Interviewer: Ok, no luck. And how much do you get for doing this?

DB: About 1000 Baht a day.

Interviewer: 1000 Baht a day. So how many hours?

DB: Depending, when I wake up probably it starts about 12 O'Clock and usually when I get tired 7 O'Clock.

Interviewer: Ok, ok, and about a 1000 Baht a day, so probably better money than teaching?

DB: If teaching was 5 days a week it would be better but 3 days I get passport out for.............

Interviewer: Yeah that's true, that's true. You don't have a problem doing this with the Police? Surely here as well here there are a lot of police at the World Trade? (Central Plaza)

DB: It's much better at Chitlom.

DB: If they see you some they say 'Go away', and others they take you to the police station and pay some money, if you are lucky they will let you go.

Interviewer: You pay money and you get out again. How much you pay?

DB: One time 500, one time 2000.

Interviewer: So a business risk really, you lose a little bit but you make ok money. Ok, fair enough. They don't put you in the IDC, the detention centre or...?

DB: No they always look at my passport but I always take care of my visas ok.

Interviewer: So that's no problem but because...

DB: They always say 'Next time we'll keep you in immigration' so I always take care of my passport.

Interviewer: Does this come under working without a work permit or not because it's begging?

DB: It's illegal to do, begging.

Interviewer: Oh ok, I thought you might get a problem because yeah it's illegal, begging. But so far they've been ok?

DB: Yeah.

Interviewer: How many times have you been arrested by the police?

DB: 4-5 times.

Interviewer: In how long, sorry?

DB: First time I had a problem was about 3 weeks.......................but now I am back one week again.

Interviewer: OK, so I'll put it down '7000 Baht short to get home'.

DB: Are you working for a newspaper.

Interviewer: No I'm making some video for youtube actually but I just saw you come here so I thought it would be interesting, because a lot of people ask about this and some people think that a farang shouldn't beg in this country and they ask how you can beg without getting deported without getting a problem with the police, but it seems fairly easy.

DB: I've been lucky because I keep my passport is ok or, I don't know.

Interviewer: There's quite a few farangs that are doing this now. There's a Canadian guy who works in Sukhumvit as well, he also asks for airport tax money as well around Sukhumvit.

DB: I haven't seen him.

Interviewer: No? Maybe competition.

Interviewer: Ok, I won't bother you anymore, Happy Christmas.

i wouldn't have this much patience interviewing this guy, no matter where he is from.

a healthy man with all fours has no reason to begg at all, in my opinion

Some passport he has...

I'll give him 25 satang if I see him.

I don't mind giving some coin to real down and outers, even if they're probably just going to spend it on drink, but it pisses me off to see able-bodied, especially reasonably young, people begging.

Too many young people beg because they think they can make more money in an "easier" line of work than some of the alternatives. Fair enough, it's a decision of personal economics. But in order for it to work, they come up with bullshit sob stories. They don't give a **** if the person whio naively believes their story actually needs that money far more than the "beggar" does.

I with basbkk on this one...You brought yourself here...your healthy...get yourself out of here...

I agree with both basbkk and thomaswd. It is irresponsible for a person to put themselves in this position. A foreigner has no business "begging" in another country. The police should simply detain and deport these individuals.

An example of an opportunist showing openly one of the darker sides of human nature.

Talking about beggars, i feel bad when i see them on the street and u know i cant give all of them some money!! i wonder if the govenment would do something for them cos some of them should not be there.. they're just abandoned old people who cannot work and none of their children care for...

I understand that there're a lot of countries collecting high tax but then its good for old people if those money we pay could help them when they're old and abandoned by building a place for them to stay and providing food and life neccessities.

If anyone of you happen to go to Central Bangna, please stop by the only one bridge in front of it. There is a very old woman begging on the bridge. Bascially, she's sitting and sleeping like other old people but damn on the bridge outside!! I wonder if someone would steal her small amount of money she gets. I feel really sad to see it. I only went there once (to pick up my new passport) a few days ago. So i would not help her that much....

I have been seeing this person for the last 2 years begging. In my opinion he is taking good money from the people that really need it. From what I can gather he makes on the average bt30000 a month doing this. He is a true leach on Thai society.

koolbreez

Pretty pathetic when the average Thai office worker makes what, 10000 per month? I hope it's mostly stupid farangs giving him money, certainly I'd guess if he's making 30000 per month begging it has to be mainly from farangs.

A newspaper in Toronto, on several tips, followed the "Shaky Lady," long a downtown begging fixture. She'd sit at the corner of Avenue and Bloor or around there huddled in blankets shaking. The reporter, observing her unnoticed, watched her for a few days, packing up just after the late afternoon quitting time pedestrian traffic. He found out her story: the shake was an act, she lived in a nice apartment in a suburban part of the city with her family, and generally was pretty well off, earning quite a handsome sum every month from begging. Her family even let him in to the apartment when she wasn't there and showed him around, not realizing what they were doing. With all the publicity, her gig was pretty much up. People would recognize her trying to beg in other parts of the city. (Maybe she laid off for a while so that people would forget her face and is back somewhere begging again - who knows.)

So maybe the Bangkok Post or Nation needs to be tipped off, as well as Thai Rath or Matichon or some other Thai papers, so they'll run stories in English and Thai about this guy, letting people know his game and putting a chill on it.

How long has he been begging? I saw by Nana BTS in end of January/early February.

umm he was also mentioned on i hate to say it stickman, he begs for money to live there and not go home.

Man, **** him!,I've seen him before. I wouldn't give my last squirt of piss if he asked for it. He's an abled body person. Get him out of Thailand!

Fully agree with you CocoaBrotha, farang people who beg in thailand should be locked up for a couple of weeks in the monkey house and they'd soon stop doing it then. They should have their visa revoked, not allowed back into Thailand and be flown home in the cargo hold with a nice bill for the flight.

There is a guy here in Phuket who begs by busking outside a Family Mart and I think it is one of the lowest of the low things to do funding their time here in that way.

Get a proper job or piss off back to where ever you came from and welsh off your own government.

*** Rant Over Now ***

Agree with all the comments here....What a low life!!

He is fit and able, he should get a job.

I saw this bloke outside Asoke station when I was in Bkk last month, and I wanted to report him to the police but I could not speak well in Thai to police officers.

Can't believe he has been able to get away with it for so long!!

I saw him back in Nov 2006

He was sitting with the exact same sign on the overpass closest to Panthip plaza. I had just spent some serious money on a HP laptop. For a brief moment I was considering giving him some money then I thought

Nah , FCUK YOU , for whatever reason you came to Thailand you outta make sure you have enough money to go back home if need be .

It's very rare that I give money to any beggars. The chances of me giving money to a Dutch beggar in Bangkok is absolutely zero.

Btw... I have no attention to insult any Dutch!! I love Dutch guys!

My point is to show that this is how we would respond to the foreigner who take advantage (ok not that much) of us. I'm sure that a lot of people would look down on me if i'd do the same in a foreign country. I'd rather be working in a cheap restaurant and earn some money that way!

There are quite a few con artists working various scams including begging. There used to be a German guy hanging around Robinsons on Suhkumvit 19. His scam was that a Thai woman had stolen everything from him, including passport. He would ask to borrow phone to call his "son" in Germany and get money wired to Western Union. He is visiting not living here, has a decent job at Frankfurt Airport and is not looking for help. Then the "son" calls back to say there is a problem and it will take a couple of days to get the money together. So suddenly our German friend needs to borrow 2,000 baht.

Did I fall for it? Well no but our friend plays an interesting variant on the scam. The person he scammed was a Thai woman friend of mine. Of course she had no money and the circumstances were not right for me to explain the scam to her. Later when she realized what had happened she was not a happy lady! And no....she was not in the scam with the German.

Most (but probably not all) of the farang beggars are scamming too.

not sure about this guy, but there have been a famous few foreign beggars here.

they earn good money for their lies, because thai people are kind and believe them.

and these guys are pretty good liars

i wouldn't trust him.

i have heard the wildest saddest stories from beggars in my own country....they are very good at playing with peoples emotions

kick them out!!

I think he silly...

I used to see him many plac in bkk...

and i never gave him my money

An other parazite that makes profits on the Europeen social system....

damn, once again the midddle class europeen workers are paying for the lasy asses!

When will we control unemployed to make sure they are really looking for a job instead of taking hollidays in Thailand!!

and 12000 baht is little money!!! he shoulda stayed in europe if he doesn t like salaries in Thailand! well he realize now what are salaries here, now that he doesn t have the 850 euros month for wranking! much harder to live right?

Same problems here on the border with Mexico. There are some legitimate people begging who need help. But there are some people who are professional beggers who do good business, I think. Some of the people actually carry around little babies when they beg to try to make people feel bad. I feel sorry for the kids, because I don't think they even belong to the begger.