KUCHING: Fake beggars are having a field day exploiting the kindness of the good citizens of Kuching.
A syndicate is believed to be behind this activity, and the beggars, mostly from China, operate largely at coffee shops here.
Usually male and female senior citizens, their modus operandi is walking from table to table with a print-out of a sick child, asking for money.
One, an elderly man, clutching RM5 and RM1 notes in his hand has a print-out with bad translation, probably using Google Translate, that reads: “Ladies and seek due to a car accident, resulting in his son into a vegetative state, the treatment requires a lot of money, good-hearted people want to give help. I wish good life of peace.”
New Sarawak Tribune observed and followed him as he moved from one coffee shop to another.
He was a hard nut to crack as he refused to move at all and put on his most sorrowful face when customers refused to give him money.
Many, in their effort to get rid of him, would helplessly dip into their pockets to fork out some cash.
When approached, he disappeared quickly into a men’s toilet, refusing to come out for a long time.
A woman carrying a notice in Bahasa Malaysia was seen in another part of the city.
She was cautious and quickly disappeared into a back lane when she realised that her photo was being taken.
A stall owner at a coffee shop in Jalan Song lamented that the beggars probably earned more than them.
The hawker said the beggars would not talk when asked. Instead, they moved to the next shop but will return at different hours when they see a different crowd.
A coffee shop owner in Mile 3 said he did not mind people selling food but felt it was just not right to beg for money in his shop.
He added that he did not dare chase them away fearing they might belong to a syndicate.
He hoped that the relevant authorities would do something before more arrive and make it a booming business of scamming the locals and siphoning money out of the country.
When contacted, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said begging was legally and morally wrong.
She said under the law, there is a procedure to follow before seeking donations or soliciting funds from the public.
“Those who wish to solicit for funds have to go through the procedure of applying through the District Office or Resident’s Office. Then the information will be verified by the police before approval is given.”
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said he was informed about the increase in number of beggars in the city, and many were foreigners.
“This in itself is already a breach and an abuse of the social visa (tourist entry) as those who enter with this are not allowed to work or do trade. Many of them have been taking advantage of the kindness of our people.
“That’s why I urge the authorities, especially the Immigration Department, to take proper action as well as proper vetting to make sure tourists on social visas do not abuse this by overstaying or even working.
“While I believe in acts of kindness, I would like to encourage the public to refrain from giving in to the beggars so that we don’t encourage the increase of such activities. If they really need help, it is always advisable to refer them to proper welfare help, including the Welfare Department or NGOs.”
That way, Dr Yii said, these beggars would be properly checked to make sure they are genuinely in need of help and not taking advantage of citizens here.
Calls made to the immigration head for comments went unanswered.
