"Beg - packers" - Western Cheap Charlies who come to Thailand with no money should "begger off" say Thais on Facebook

[smedly]

Thailand is not suited to the traditional backpacking holiday simply because they are not allowed to take up casual menial jobs like grape picking bar work etc to fund their travels, so unless they have the money to pay their way should probably be giving Thailand a miss

[thailand49]

11 minutes ago, jesimps said:

In ten years of living here I've never seen a farang begging or hitch hiking. I've seen many thousands of farang (myself included) spending millions of baht here supporting  wives and stepchildren, running businesses giving employment to locals and contributing to the economy in general.

 

I have though, seen thousands of Thais begging. Maybe the facebookers were a little confused.

 

Cue the Thai-bashing policemen.

 

 

 

This is all true, but it doesn't matter what the truth is?  In the end, the people who don't like what is being said is thinking and saying " this is their country if you don't like it go home ".  That is the solution to everything?

[morocco]

Just stirring the pot?
We were all young at one time?  I've thought of doing this when I was young but didn't have a clue but what never cross my mind was that I would go backpack and beg? So I give people credit they got the guts to just pick up and do it.
In many ways the Thais are right,  should be able to pay your own way. That being said there are many ways of begging, as one poster said " International Aid " like million in USD, given to this government by WHO, for improving the death rate in driving yet in 10 years, Thailand rate gets worse.
Begging depends on how you look at it,  dual charging for foreigners, because they think we have it to pay more? charging more for the use of their ATM for foreign cards, Is that begging?

Hmmm... Wonder how you life would be living on the average wage of a Thai.

[leeneeds]

Getting something for free, well done,

who knows what these young people 

will turn out to be, most I would bet would 

become open minded, wide vision thinking people,

who would be generous and be a positive contributing 

human, 

[hEaDy]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Pattharmon Sukasem was even more forthright: "Chase them all away - if they don't have money what are they doing here?"

A message to all foreigners spoken by an honest Thai, lest you forget

[SpeakeasyThai]

Thai street hawkers and Thai beggers must feel aghast at this international competition encroaching on their livlihood. The more the merrier i say, and let the survival of the fittest prevail!

[gemguy]

Geez...Talk about media sensationalism...once again.

There have ALWAYS been a percent of the foreigners coming to Thailand and doing it on the Cheap, Cheap.

I once met a guy back in 1993 that claimed he had 600 US dollars for 6 months of stay in Thailand and enjoyed walking everywhere with his back pack that included a small pup tent.

He claimed he walked to Chiang Mai and it took him 23 days of leisurely walking telling me the cost of the bus was too expensive so he decided to walk.

Coming back to Bangkok he said was lucky and met people delivering  fruit to Ayuttaya in a pick up truck and they gave him a ride in the back of the truck with the fruit.

Some people will do it the hard and cheap way and call it an adventure of a life time.

Cheers

[Bob12345]

3 hours ago, Thechook said:

" people with signs on the roadside or begging at gas stations. Here in Asia we are not used to this way "

If you want to beg you should shave your head and wear an orange robe, and when someone gives you money you mumble some BS stuff to make them feel happy; that the Thai way of begging.

[NextStationBangkok]

The big difference in Thailand is, if an African looking backpacker doing this, it will be a big crime and all screams until they are sent to jail.

 

As economy getting better in Asia  and inflation makes price higher, world is getting equal faster. No more cheap destination available anymore.

 

You prepare financially for your holiday or stay home.

[morocco]

Geez...Talk about media sensationalism...once again.
There have ALWAYS been a percent of the foreigners coming to Thailand and doing it on the Cheap, Cheap.
I once met a guy back in 1993 that claimed he had 600 US dollars for 6 months of stay in Thailand and enjoyed waking everywhere with his back pack that included a small pup tent.
He claimed he walked to Chiang Mai and it took him 23 days of leisurely walking telling me the cost of the bus was too expensive so he decided to walk.
Coming back to Bangkok he said was lucky and met people delivering  fruit to Ayuttaya in a pick up truck and they gave him a ride in the back of the truck with the fruit.
Some people will do it the hard and cheap way and call it an adventure of a life time.
Cheers

That's a little different than begging though.


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[NextStationBangkok]

Just now, Bob12345 said:

If you want to beg you should shave your head and wear an orange robe, and when someone gives you money you mumble some BS stuff to make them feel happy; that the Thai way of begging.

Primarily you need rag cloths, and worn out slippers, and hat for begging.... Orange is for monks.

[gemguy]

1 minute ago, morocco said:

That's a little different than begging though.


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True, True...but I imagine that guy took all the freebees and generosity he could absorb along the way...lol

[ThaiWai]

When I come up to the I/O counter well dressed, of proper retirement age with my legit visa and loaded bank accounts here and back home I get a rectal exam.  At the same time some acne scarred wanna-be white rastas in rags and flip flops wreaking of cheese from the Roman era shows up and sets up shop selling crap under a BTS track to support his "5 a day fried fish ball/never gonna ever really work" attitude and cruises around town without a care in the world.  Something is not right.

[PatOngo]

17 minutes ago, morocco said:

Hmmm... Wonder how you life would be living on the average wage of a Thai.

Well most  foreigners come from civilised countries that offer better than oppressive, subsistence wages.

If the powers that be restrict the minimum wage to 300 thb per day, they should learn to live within their means!

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Sphere said:

 

The right way is to rent a crippled baby and use a plastic cup..... 

 

 

That be the start of zero-dollar begging....

 

Or even cripple a child intentionally and get a woman with a plastic cup to do it on your behalf.

Or the red painted leg bandages, or the slug crawling at your feet! Beggars have been here since I first visited, 1982!

[impulse]

26 minutes ago, smedly said:

Thailand is not suited to the traditional backpacking holiday simply because they are not allowed to take up casual menial jobs like grape picking bar work etc to fund their travels, so unless they have the money to pay their way should probably be giving Thailand a miss

 

I knew a guy in my youth that traveled all over the USA, cleaning toilets at gas stations to make a few bucks, then down the road to the next gas station.  Most of them turned him down, and he didn't have a set fee- he just asked them to pay what they thought was fair.  But he did such a good job that some paid him pretty good coin- especially for the 1970's.  He camped out of his ragged out pickup truck, and claimed he had the best summer of his life cleaning toilets.

[jimstar1]

Ok Nothing to see here lets move on lets leave the Unemployed rent a crowd people do there Thing

[heybuz]

41 minutes ago, jesimps said:

In ten years of living here I've never seen a farang begging or hitch hiking. I've seen many thousands of farang (myself included) spending millions of baht here supporting  wives and stepchildren, running businesses giving employment to locals and contributing to the economy in general.

 

I have though, seen thousands of Thais begging. Maybe the facebookers were a little confused.

 

Cue the Thai-bashing policemen.

 

 

 

We allow them to work in my country

[F4UCorsair]

Grubby parasites.  

[arithai12]

12 minutes ago, gemguy said:

Geez...Talk about media sensationalism...once again.

There have ALWAYS been a percent of the foreigners coming to Thailand and doing it on the Cheap, Cheap.

I once met a guy back in 1993 that claimed he had 600 US dollars for 6 months of stay in Thailand and enjoyed walking everywhere with his back pack that included a small pup tent.

He claimed he walked to Chiang Mai and it took him 23 days of leisurely walking telling me the cost of the bus was too expensive so he decided to walk.

Coming back to Bangkok he said was lucky and met people delivering  fruit to Ayuttaya in a pick up truck and they gave him a ride in the back of the truck with the fruit.

Some people will do it the hard and cheap way and call it an adventure of a life time.

Cheers

Bangkok-Chiang Mai in 23 days? that's 750 km, can be done I suppose but I would call it pro long-distance running not leisure walking.

Bu I do agree with you that travelling on a shoestring (remember the first edition of the lonely planet-to-be) is an old established form of tourism. I think this article is pointing, admittedly not very well, at something new indeed: have others pay for your travels.

[ThaiWai]

27 minutes ago, impulse said:

In 6 years in BKK, I've seen a couple of dozen western foreigners playing an instrument for tips on the sidewalk- and I generally avoid the backpacker tourist areas as much as possible.

I saw a scrubby hippie banging a bongo on the over pass walkway between Central Festival Phuket and Home Works.  He had his cup out and his token skanky pube dreadlocked gf that no doubt her father was trying to forget existed sitting on the ground alongside.  I pulled a few thousand baht out of my pocket, walked up and bent down towards his cup and when he smiled widely anticipating a fat tip I said "What you are doing is illegal, disruptive and disgusting.  When I get across this bridge I getting mall security to throw you the F out of here.   Go back home bongo boy and scrub that skanks undercarriage with some steel wool before you get on the plane."  10 minutes later when I came back he was gone.

[bangkokheat]

they must be good at beg-packing, they all look well fed

[impulse]

1 minute ago, ThaiWai said:

I saw a scrubby hippie banging a bongo on the over pass walkway between Central Festival Phuket and Home Works.  He had his cup out and his token skanky pube dreadlocked gf that no doubt her father was trying to forget existed sitting on the ground alongside.  I pulled a few thousand baht out of my pocket, walked up and bent down towards his cup and when he smiled widely anticipating a fat tip I said "What you are doing is illegal, disruptive and disgusting.  When I get across this bridge I getting mall security to throw you the F out of here.   Go back home bongo boy and scrub that skanks undercarriage with some steel wool before you get on the plane."  10 minutes later when I came back he was gone.

 

I'm more of a "live and let live" kind of guy.  I haven't a clue how strangers got to where they are in their lives, and there but for the grace of God...

[Familyaffairs]

These selfsame 'beggers' who put most of Thailand on the tourist radar ? They were quite happy to screw them then.....

[JungleBiker]

According to wiki, Buddha was a very rich guy who went out begging in the streets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha#Renunciation_and_ascetic_life  

[ThaiWai]

39 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

Just stirring the pot?

We were all young at one time? 

When I was 12 I drove a fork lift and stocked shelves at a beverage center for $1.25 an hour.  When I was 18 I got an American Express and bought a new car and started building a credit history and by 25 I had purchased a home that 10 years later I sold for double what I paid for it.  I retired at 45 after 23 years of public service.  I never begged for or borrowed a nickel that did not come from a bank.  I never begged for food either and I took a hot shower every day.  Yeah, I was young once.  I still am.  But I was never a drain on society or a public nuisance. 

[fruitman]

Just kick them out.

[morocco]

According to wiki, Buddha was a very rich guy who went out begging in the streets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha#Renunciation_and_ascetic_life  

I don't think these beg packers are on a life long quest to achieve enlightenment.


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[digibum]

1 hour ago, samsensam said:

 

the reporter cant even include a relevant photo, or can't be bothered to do their job professionally.

 

thai visa please post professional, well researched stories rather than low quality journalistic click bait, it will improve the quality of the site

And yet people still read and comment.  Not exactly an incentive for them to change anything.  

[banlampang]

Up to you, up to them.