Thailand in pictures (9): Beggars
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A picture paints a thousand words. This certainly applies to Thailand, a special country with an interesting culture and many cheerful people, but also a dark side of coups, environmental pollution, poverty, exploitation, animal suffering, violence and many road deaths.
In each episode we choose a theme that gives an insight into Thai society. In this series no slick pictures of swaying palms and white beaches, but of people. Sometimes hard, sometimes shocking, but also surprising. Today a photo series about beggars.
It is impossible to imagine the streets of Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya without beggars. Old toothless grannies, mothers with babies, men with or without limbs, blind karaoke singers, disabled people and tramps sometimes accompanied by mangy dogs.
These situations often involve organized gangs from neighboring countries such as Burma or Cambodia, who have made begging their profession. Sometimes Thai minors are forced to beg for money, for example from a loanshark where they are in debt.
Because begging is forbidden in Thailand, the streets are regularly swept clean and beggars are arrested. Thais receive schooling so that they can find work and re-enter society. Persons with mental disorders are referred to care providers such as psychiatric hospitals. Foreigners are detained and deported.
Since March 2016, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed a law banning beggars from the streets. Exceptions are only made for collections and street artists, but they must then be in possession of a permit. The law not only prohibits begging, but also forcing or helping beggars is punishable. With this, the government also wants to tackle the gangs that organize begging. Nevertheless, it seems to be mopping with the stall open…..
Beggars
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They don't mean the monks who make their begging round very early in the morning with their begging bowl, do they? And what would the Buddha have said about this? Sorry if I offend anyone with these questions.
Read this story about beggars, monks and doing good.
https://www.thailandblog.nl/cultuur/bedelaars-kort-verhaal/
Who is Buddha to have an opinion on that? The followers are sometimes sicker in spirit, but you see that in believing more.
Years ago it was sometimes in the news that Cambodians with a low IQ (terrible text, but there is no other way) were mutilated with hydrochloric acid and then had to go begging in richer Thailand.
How bad can a person be to exploit people and how wrong is it to give beggars who are exploited under these circumstances some money so that everything is maintained?
The Buddha had an opinion on that, Johnny.
A number of times I took a monk with me who was hitchhiking from Chiang Kham (Phayao) to Chiang Rai. At the end of the ride they all asked for a donation. I gave them XNUMX baht, which they took, although a monk is not allowed to take money.
If you encounter a beggar who you suspect is human trafficking or exploitation, you should not give money but report it to the police. Agree, dear Johnny?
Haha Tino, that's good, monks are not allowed to accept money, all those envelopes are filled with good wishes, I'll agree with that, dear Tino?
Monasticism, the Sangha, in Thailand is doomed. There are more scandals than with Catholic priests. Rather give to beggars.
Tino,
The division between the extremely rich and the extremely rich in Thailand, where the poor are told that it is all due to their karma and that the rich deserve a good life, will be due to the merits of the many broadcasts on Thai TV, where monks are shown at important events can continue for a long time.
Whoever controls the media controls the people.
There has been a warning in the bangkok post not to give money to beggars.
My wife has the opinion that if a beggar has 2 hands and 2 legs then don't give money.
I think it's a dilemma what to do.
Furthermore, I think that a monk who can get up early in the morning, walk 5 km barefoot, could also work and give part of his earned money to the poor.
Incidentally, there are many problem cases with monks who try to get rid of drug and alcohol addiction by becoming a monk.
Old inmates and people who can't take care of themselves.
Free accommodation and food is then a solution.
In my wife's family, 1 brother has been a monk for a long time and 1 only for 2 months.
I thought the minimum time period is 3 months.
No, khun moo, how long you remain a monk is up to you, there is no minimum period. No one will blame you if you leave the temple, that is completely up to you. My son was once ordained as a monk for one day during the cremation of his cousin and best friend.
Tino,
Maybe I didn't phrase it correctly.
My wife says that in principle you have to complete the period of 3 months if you want to do well.
But indeed a Farang family member of mine has been a monk for 3 days.
Due to his illness, a longer period was not recommended.
Being the one-day monk because of cremation is indeed something I've seen more often.
I see it as permanent job monks, temporary contract monks and call monks.
I rarely give anything to beggars anymore , years ago one of our friends gave 100 bt to a man without legs who rode on a board . I was a bit behind and saw that pathetic beggar put 100 bt in his pouch, which already had a lot of money in it.
Jacqueline, a thick pack of twenty is worth nothing….
Unfortunately, here too there is chaff among the wheat and there is a mafia that makes money from these poor people. But you may feed them who are really disabled and beaten at home if they don't bring in enough. And their plate is scooped last anyway. Those guys are skinny if you want to look closely.
But it remains difficult to judge whether or not you give something. I left it to my Thai girlfriend.
Heartbreaking photos! Although I am aware that ruthless gangsters deliberately maim their fellow human beings and force them to beg, I cannot bring myself to give anything. Perhaps that is why I inadvertently maintain 'the system'. But not everyone is exploited by criminals, for some there is no other way out than to beg. Just before the corona virus hit I was in Phnom Penh (Cambodia). A child of about 10 years old, without arms and legs, sat in a kind of cart and was pushed by a friend. When they saw me walking across the street, the boyfriend immediately sprang into action. With a blood-curdling gait, a course was set for me. Of course I gave something and I also tried to give the mutilated child some compliments through gestures. Another time I was leaving the casino in Phnom Penh and, walking towards a tuk tuk, I was accosted by a very shabbily dressed little guy. I gave him some banknotes that I thought were Riels (Cambodian currency). He thanked me profusely by kneeling, accompanied by big 'wais' and then by walking along with the tuk tuk, shouting thank you all the time. I thought it was a bit exaggerated for those few euros, but when I got to my hotel later I noticed that I hadn't given him Riels but US dollars. The penny fell into place, I could see the mood. That little fellow had had at least one good evening and that gave me satisfaction again. And a certain amount of satisfaction may also play a role in giving some money to people who are less fortunate than yourself.
Would like to add eyesight to Khun moo's wife's reaction.
Then you should be quite capable of doing something better than holding out your hand.
Temporary monks nothing more than a sheltered workshop, not a good thing, but heavily distorted.
Are there identifying marks on clothing to distinguish between the professional monk and the temporary?
The Thai legislation that is in place sounds quite Dutch except for that release.
william,
Monks receive a monk's passport and are registered.
At least that's what my wife's son got.
There's nothing to do with the guy, too lazy to work, drinking and then rehab as a monk.
There are also different monastic organizations with slightly different practices.
From the barefoot monks in Isaan with a spartan way of life to the more luxurious version in the big cities.
The female monks walk in white clothes and you rarely hear anything negative about that.
Often women who want to lead a quiet life.
Such a monk passport (monastic identification document) is called a nǎng-sǔu sòe-thíe (หนังสือสุทธิ). It contains various information. Among other things, the civil first and last name, the profession before becoming a monk, nationality, father's and mother's name, birth data, etc. And with regard to the initiation when, where and by whom that was, which new name one has adopted, at which temple(s) one is (was) connected and so on.
Every official monk (Bhikkhu, ภิกษุ) has such a booklet. According to the Thai Sangha, women cannot be monks (Bhikkhuni, ภิกษุณี)… The Buddha himself thought otherwise, he would not be happy with how the Thai roots deal with the teachings. So they don't have an official booklet either. There are real female monks who sometimes wore a yellow / orange robe, but that is not allowed by the Thai Sangha. An alternative solution was red robes. A well-known incident took place a century ago, when Narin Phasit had his two daughters ordained as monks.
Instead of yellow, orange or red, a less "rebellious" Buddhist woman can go for a white robe. But such a white robe is actually not for monks but for lay people. Those are civilian/lay (ie not monk) women who live pious and celibate lives. They call it Mêh-chie (แม่ชี).
See also a piece by Tino earlier on this blog (2018): Women within Buddhism
Or this interview with a “renegade female monk”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2paKoU2zDuk
Personally, I think the number of beggars in Thailand is not too bad and they are usually not pushy.
I have known it differently in many countries, with India standing out. And that begging is usually controlled is a fact. Partly because of this, I never give money to beggars. What I do do when it is really distressing, offer to buy something to eat, if that is refused, it is usually beggars who collect money for the mafia.
I once saw a beggar on Walking Street being accosted by a cop.
He crawled across the street with only one leg. I don't know what the officer said exactly, but a moment later the other leg came out and he just walked away.
And some younger beggar whom I regularly saw walking on the beach of Jomtien and in the evening along the bars of Pattaya, I later met in Phuket. He also recognized me.
I think it's a good business model.
It all reminds me of a movie with Eddy Murphy, who also sits on a board with wheels as if supposedly paralyzed with black glasses on as his blind, begging, until a few police officers come and pick him up and put him on his legs, whereupon he exclaims, “praise the Lord a miracle has happened, I can walk, I can see”
I have also encountered them and do not give money because of the abuses behind it.
However, I sometimes see Thai bystanders who give me a short nod of approval. I see that as a signal that it concerns a "real Thai beggar".
Since then I pay close attention to the body language, attitude of the passers-by.
Although everyone will now have different headaches with the aftermath of the corona era
It is even more poignant when you know that some healthy children break the legs and mutilate them in order to beg, because if you do not give such an unfortunate child who begs nothing, then your soul is damned, a certain route a few years ago drove to visit 9 famous temples in one day, in one of those temples there were offering blocks everywhere to deposit your good gifts, the ceiling of each living room was hung with lines with countless coin notes attached to them, there were various plastic skeletons like yours sometimes at the doctor's office to learn the human physique, they had partially dressed those skeletons and attached a begging bowl in one hand and a tape was constantly played with the text, TAMBOEN, TAMBOEN, to save your soul. my Thai wife was flabbgergasted by all this begging for money, this had nothing to do with Bhudism, in this way this beautiful philosophy of life becomes pure big booming money making tube nuis with these sciences I do not give anything to such "agencies".
When I went to Thailand for the first time and stayed in a hotel near the center of Chiang Mai and I walked to the center with my guide. Walking over a bridge, a few women with children were begging on either side of the bridge. I had already heard not to pay attention to that, but a few evenings a tear came to my eyes because I am "that rich foreigner". After a few evenings, I reached out of my wallet and took out 20 baht (10 baht for everyone). A few days later, as a precaution, I already had the money loose in my pocket because showing your open wallet in public can attract other things - The more times I went there, the more tears came to me because next to that bridge there is a 5 star hotel where expensive cars drove back and forth and that is a stark contrast to the poverty that exists there.
On the last evening before leaving for home, one of those women moved to the other side of the bridge and gave her 500 THB, something I have never given to a beggar in the Netherlands. (let alone those people who come here from the Eastern Bloc to beg) I secretly took a photo of her and her child to “take her home (in my heart)
The following year I was back in Chiang Mai and apparently the same hotel near that bridge - she immediately came back to my heart but she was not there - I saw her with her child now in the city with Mac D
I first got some water and gave it to her along with some money. This is how it went every evening, getting some water (and sometimes some food) and giving her money.
I remembered that I had toys as a child, but I didn't see that child playing, so I went to a toy stall and bought a toy car. I walked back and gave it to her. With love and care it was accepted and put in her bag (the child was sleeping) and there was a smile on her face which made me happy.
The next day there was another child with her and another bottle of water and some money and I saw both children playing with that car (which was good for me). I went to that stall again and bought another toy car for the other child. Now they both had something.
When I passed by there with a good Thai friend of mine, she spoke to her and thanked me. I thought they were 2 boys she had with her, but it turned out to be 2 girls (laughter on both sides, but she didn't mind because they were both happy with the gift
When I write this again, tears come to my eyes and the memories come flooding back. Despite the fact that I am warned every time that there are also “scammers” out there, I give from my feeling. because (In general) we as Westerners are richer than the vast majority of the Thai population.
It must also be my Christian upbringing that makes me do it. If it is not for them, it is for my Thai friends to make a small financial contribution.