While the PM begs at home, the Poor beg overseas

Asking for sympathy: A mother and child seen begging at the SS13 night market in Subang Jaya.
In plain sight: A badly scarred individual seen begging at the Section 17 night market in Petaling Jaya.
High traffic: The beggars choose places where there are a lot of passers-by to maximise their gains.

Beggars choose to take the easy way out

Friday September 4, 2009
The Star Online (Malaysia)

"Lam, who has been trading at the SS13 night market for three years, suspects that the beggars are mostly foreigners from countries like Cambodia and China and are attached to a syndicate that brings them around Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to beg."

TAKE a walk around the city or any of its suburbs and you are almost guaranteed to run into a beggar. These beggars are usually disabled, old or very young and they sit along the pathways waiting for a handout.

Those who beg tend to frequent places with high traffic like night markets or outside banks or gambling outlets in commercial areas.

A trader at the SS13 night market in Subang Jaya said he had seen various individuals, including handicapped children and adults, old folks and mother-and-child pairs begging at the night market almost every week.

The trader, who identified himself as Lam, believed that the beggars are part of a syndicate as his friend, who is a trader at the Kepong night market, has also seen the same faces.

“Someone will drop them off at the designated night market and they will find their way in before sitting down in the middle of the path to beg.

“I have actually seen the beggars wear old and torn clothing while begging, only to change into something cleaner before boarding a special taxi that comes to take them home,” he said.

Lam, who has been trading at the SS13 night market for three years, suspects that the beggars are mostly foreigners from countries like Cambodia and China and are attached to a syndicate that brings them around Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to beg.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Licensing Department director Ismail Salim said the council could conduct joint operations with the Social Welfare Department (JKM) in an effort to tackle the beggars.

Noting that there were also beggars in other public places like mosques and food courts, Ismail said that it was public sympathy that encouraged the beggars to continue looking for a handout.

“They will continue coming back as long as people give them money. If they genuinely need aid, they can always contact the JKM,” he said.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun echoed similar sentiments by saying the public should stop sympathising with beggars and donating money as it offered them an easy way to earn money.

“What the public needs to do if they spot any beggar is to call the Talian Nur or report to the nearest JKM office. There are more than 100 JKM offices located in each district office in Malaysia,” she said.

Chew said the Talian Nur operators would note the callers’ information and refer them to the relevant authorities and let them know what they should do.

To address the begging syndicate issues, Chew said the JKM conducts scheduled operations once or twice a week at areas with lots of street beggars, as well as joint operations with various agencies like the local councils, Immigration Department, National Registration Department, National Anti-Drugs Agency and hospitals.

“If a child (aged under 18) is found during the operation, then the Child Act 2001 will be used,” she said.

(Section 32 of the act states: Any person who causes or procures any child… allows that child to be on any… place for the purposes of begging, receiving alms, whether or not there is any pretence of… performing or offering anything for sale; or carrying out… illegal activities detrimental to the health and welfare of the child, commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.)

“The JKM protection officer will rescue the child and place him or her in a welfare home within 24 hours,” Chew said.

“A court order will be obtained from the magistrate’s court to place the child in a welfare home for the next 30 days while the officer prepares a report.


“If the child is found to have a family member or relative who can care for them, we will send them back.

“Putting them in a welfare home is the last option as we believe it is best for the children to grow up in a loving family environment.”

If they are to be put in a home, Chew said, the children would be placed in an orphanage or Rumah Tunas Harapan, a home that is run by couples with their own children.

The Ministry provides allowances for the relatives or Rumah Tunas Harapan families to care for the children.

Meanwhile, if adults are found during the operation, they would be rescued under the Destitute Person’s Act 1977.

“They will be placed in a welfare institution within 24 hours and a 30-day court order will obtained while the officers investigate their case,” said Chew.

“If a family member or caregiver cannot be found, they will be placed in a welfare home for three years. Those aged above 60 will go to the Rumah Seri Kenangan old folks’ home, while those under 60 will be placed in Desa Bina Diri workshops to learn soft skills.”

She stressed that welfare organisations and charities cannot use children to solicit donations.

“If an association wants to solicit donations in commercial or residential areas, they will need to get permission from the JKM and a police permit,” she said.

Talian Nur’s number is 15999. For a list of JKM locations and contacts, visit www.jkm.gov.my (search under directory).

Cambodia export to Malaysia under Hun Sen's regime: Poor, hungry, disabled beggars

Beggars a common sight at public places

Wednesday January 14, 2009
Stories by LIM CHIA YING and OH ING YEEN
The Star Online (Malaysia)

THE beggars are making a big comeback in the Klang Valley, after a few years of absence following a crackdown by the local authorities.

The beggars are becoming a common sight along the streets in commercial areas, at night markets and outside restaurants and coffeeshops.

While there are many generous people who give out of sympathy to these beggars, the public sentiment is that the beggars are a nuisance, especially when they harass people, chasing after them for money.

Humming away: A shirtless beggar in front of a vegetable stall at the night market.

Sometimes, these beggars approach people who are having meals at coffeeshops. Some people give the beggars some coins just to get rid of them, especially when the children are frightened by their dirty look.

Many people are wondering if the beggars are part of organised syndicates out to cash in on the sympathy and generosity of Malaysians.

People interviewed by StarMetro want to know what the authorities are doing to tackle this mushrooming problem. They feel that the beggars are an embarassment to the country, especially if they operate at tourist spots like the Petaling Jaya Chinatown.

Following are some case studies done by StarMetro:

Case 1: Batu 14 Puchong pasar malam

StarMetro checked out the Batu 14 Puchong pasar malam that is touted to have quite a number of beggars.

The popular weekly Saturday pasar malam was quite a hive of activity with traders of various races operating a variety of stalls. In addition to the many local customers, there were also foreigners patronising the stalls.

The StarMetro team saw several beggars sitting with their begging bowls, asking for money from the many visitors who walked past them.

Kind lot: People donating to a disabled beggar sitting in the middle of the road at the 14th Mile, Puchong

There was a shirtless old Chinese man with a very thin frame. He was emptying out some notes from his begging bowl into a bag before holding it out again to ask for donations.

When the StarMetro reporters went to casually drop a coin into his begging bowl and tried to start a conversation with him, he only nodded his head, apparently as a gesture of thank you while looking up blankly.

The beggar then held out both his hands, hummed a monotonous meaningless tune, apparently either pretending not to have heard what was being asked or was actually mentally unstable.

There was another beggar, whom the StarMetro reporters bought a snack, hoping to strike up a conversation with him.

He munched on the food hungrily like he had not eaten for days. When asked where he was from, he said Cambodia.

The beggar then went on to rattle off about Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, which perhaps indicated that he could have come into Malaysia via Thailand from his home country.

Asked where he stayed and who brought him there to beg, the Cambodian beggar only smiled, obviously knowing that he was not supposed to tell.

Just metres away sat another beggar looked like a disabled person as his legs were smaller than those of a normal person.

This beggar was crawling along the road quite quickly, using his hands while asking for money from those who passed him.

He was seen crawling back to the five-foot pavement counting the money he had made, then moving back to the road where he continued begging.

The visitors to the night market seemed rather generous and sympathetic to the beggars, as many did not hesitate to drop a few coins into the bowls.

More people seemed to give to the disabled beggar, possibly because of sympathy for his physical condition.

Jason Kua, a regular visitor to the pasar malam, said last Saturday when he was there, he saw a woman carrying a baby sitting on the floor.

“I think these are begging rackets operated by organised syndicates and not genuine cases. Some of these people also don’t look local and it can be rather annoying seeing them,” he said.

“There was one man who had a leg amputated, and another who was sitting right in the middle of the road asking for money. I had donated a few times to the disabled one, out of sympathy,” said Kua, a manager.

However, he said after a while, he got fed up seeing them there every other Saturday.

According to Kua, not all the beggars are there everytime as there are often new faces.

“Some are 40-plus, some 50-plus, but there are also a few aged about 30-something or so,” he said.

Although some are young, Kua said they did not work as some were disabled.

He wondered how the disabled beggars managed to go to the pasar malam to beg, unless someone had sent them.

Disabled: The frail beggar from Guangzhou, China, travels from KL by taxi to the market in SS15, Subang Jaya.

Case 2: Subang Jaya SS15 market

At the SS15 market in Subang Jaya, a frail-looking beggar was seen kneeling on the ground with his right leg over his shoulder, bowing to every passer-by and begging them to spare him some change.

Seeing the pitiful sight, many did not hesitate to drop some money into his begging bowl.

The StarMetro reporters bought him a snack and tried to strike up a casual conversation, asking him where he came from.

“I came from Guangzhou, China. I’m currently staying in Kuala Lumpur, I got here by taxi which costs about RM10. I get about RM40 to RM50 a day,” he said.

Occasionally, a man on crutches and an old lady, who seemed to be in her 80s, are seen begging at the market as well.

Case 3: Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Juxtaposed against the swanky shopping malls along the popular shopping hub of Jalan Bukit Bintag, some beggars, who looked like foreigners, are seen begging on the pavements.

An old lady was seen begging from passers-by. Some people dropped a few coins while some just ignored her.

Asked how she came here, the old woman just mumbled something with a strong mainland Chinese accent.

When contacted, a spokesman from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said any complaints it received would be channelled to the Welfare Department for action.

In November last year, it was reported in The Star that the ministry has a hotline number that the public could call for complaints on beggars.

The spokesman clarified that the hotline was not just dedicated to complaints on beggars, but a nationwide helpline for all sorts of complaints or problems like child abuse or wife beating.

For complaints on the beggars, he said the hotline staff would take down the details on the beggar, like his physical appearance and where he usually begged.

Kind lot: People donating to a disabled beggar sitting in the middle of the road at the 14th Mile, Puchong

“This would make it easier for us to forward the complaint to the Welfare Department, which will handle the case in its own way,” he said.

“Also, the problem of beggars is under the jurisdiction of the local authorities and the police,” he said.

He added that some begged on a part-time basis for side income.

According to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), it does not handle or take action against the beggars as it is the responsibility of the Welfare Department. This is so, even if the beggars operate in areas under its jurisdiction.

“Also, we will usually engage the police for the operation as they will look into the peacekeeping and security issue because the beggars may pose problems,” an official of the MPSJ public relations department said.

“The public seldom come to us with complaints on beggars as they will call the police directly,” he said.

The Petaling Jaya City Council also said it did not handle such matters, leaving it to the Welfare Department instead.