The Star online
Monday August 23, 2010
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia seems to have become a haven for foreign beggars who can reap up to RM8,000 a month from donations by kind locals, said MCA Public Services and Com plaints Department chief Datuk Michael Chong.
He said these beggars are believed to have entered the country with the aid of syndicates by abusing their social visit passes.
Besides begging at night markets or preying on customers at coffee shops, their tactics have taken a more desperate turn, with some seen pestering motorists waiting at traffic lights.
“I was driving through the traffic lights near the Employees’ Provident Fund building here when I saw an old woman going from one car to another in the queue, pleading for money.
A sore sight: A foreign beggar with a child in this picture taken in Petaling Jaya yesterday.
“However, I was pleased to note that most motorists did not give her any money,” said Chong, adding that the woman spoke Mandarin with a foreign accent.
He said although he had seen beggars resorting to such tactics overseas, this was relatively new in Malaysia.
Chong said last year, a foreign beggar had sought his help to recover RM30,000 allegedly owed to him by his “boss” for months of “work”.
He said such earnings were shared between the beggars and their syndicates, so the public should refrain from giving any money at all.
“The best method to tackle this problem is by refusing to give beggars money, leaving them with no choice but to return to their own country to earn an honest living,” he said
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